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A GATEWAY INTO ENGLISH 

FOR 

CHINESE STUDENTS 


ELIZABETH THOMPSON GOWDY, B.A. 

n 1 

TEACHER IN THE ANGLO-CHINESE COLLEGE, 
FOOCHOW, CHINA 

ASSISTED BY 

LAURA GERE THOMPSON, B.A. 

FORMERLY TEACHER IN WYOMING SEMINARY, 
KINGSTON, FENN., U.S.A. 


iBoofi flDtte 


) > 

too 



SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 


Copyright, 1918, by 
SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY 


PREFACE 


The single aim of this little book is that it may help in teaching Chinese 
students how to read, speak, and write English intelligently and naturally. 
So many students who can read and write English fairly well are utterly at 
a loss if asked a simple question in English. This is because their instruction 
in English conversation has been a side issue, instead of being made the most 
essential feature of the course from the very beginning. Most schools use one 
textbook for reading and another for conversation, thus necessitating the learn¬ 
ing of two separate vocabularies; but much time and effort can be saved by 
using the reading lesson and the conversation lesson to supplement each other. 

The writer does not pretend to have found a complete solution of so difficult 
a problem as the teaching of English to Orientals, but has simply recorded 
here the results of her own experiments in the classroom during fourteen years 
as a teacher of elementary English in China. She has been assisted in the com¬ 
position of the book by one who has had wide experience in teaching English in 
the secondary schools of America. 

It is hoped that no teacher will attempt to use this book without first having 
read through the “ Hints for Teaching,” and the various other suggestions to be 
found in the back of the Teacher’s Edition. It is only fair to ask that these 
suggestions should not be set aside until they have been given at least a year 
of thorough trial. The book is so condensed that unless the supplementary 
work suggested is carefully planned and carried out by the teacher, the lessons 
cannot be properly assimilated. Teachers who prefer to follow old-fashioned 
methods would do far better to use old-fashioned books. 

As there are at present in China many more classes of elementary English 
for boys than for girls, the lessons have been written largely with a class of 
boys in mind; but with a few simple changes here and there, the dialogues 
and games, and even the reading lessons, may easily be used by a class of 
girls. The lack of a universal language in China has made it seem best to 
leave blank spaces for proper names, to be filled in by the pupils with local 
names already familiar to them. 

iii 


IV 


PREFACE 


If the majority of the teachers of elementary English in China were 
trained specialists, much of the material found in the Teacher’s Edition would 
he superfluous, if not presumptuous. Very often, however, the beginning 
classes must be entrusted to Chinese teachers who themselves have had only 
a few years of instruction in English. In spite of their limitations, many of 
these young men and women have become efficient teachers. It is chiefly with 
the idea of increasing their efficiency that the suggestions for teachers have 
been given in such detail. As a matter of fact, these suggestions, as well as 
the lessons in the book itself, owe much of their value to the helpful coopera¬ 
tion of three Chinese teachers of English in the Anglo-Chinese College, Foochow 
— Mr. Wang Ytin Chung, Mr. Hwang Yu Kwang, and Mr. Yeh Men-tzu. 
These teachers have criticized the subject matter from the Chinese point of 
view and have also furnished a test as to whether the instructions for teachers 
are sufficiently clear and simple to be helpful to those with whom English is an 
acquired language. 

Grateful acknowledgment is made also to Professor A. Duncan Yocum of 
the Department of Pedagogy of the University of Pennsylvania, who has criti¬ 
cized the manuscript with especial reference to the principles of pedagogy 
involved. 


The Anglo-Chinese College, 
Foochow, China. 


A GATEWAY INTO ENGLISH 
FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Part I 



A GATEWAY INTO ENGLISH FOR 
CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 1 


a fan 

a man 

a cat 

I 

the 

a pan 

The man 

a rat 

You 

The 

has 

have 

an egg 

He 

A, a 



I have a fan. 

You have an egg. 
He has a pan. 

The man has a fan. 
I have a cat. 

You have a pan. 

He has an egg. 

I have a pan. 

You have a fan. 
The cat has a rat. 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. I have —— cat. 

2. He has-- egg. 

3. You have -- 



fan. 






2 


one (wun) 

One 

no (no) 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

LESSON 2 

two (two) three four (fowr) fan (fan) 

egg (eg</) leg (leg) arm (arm) fans (fang) 

eggs (eg^s) legs (legg) arms (arms) 

I have two legs. 

You have two legs. 

He has one leg. 

A cat has four legs. 

You have two arms. 

The man has two arms. 

I have one arm. 

A cat has no arms. 

One, two, three! 

You have three fans. 

One, two, three, four! 

He has four eggs. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. I have-arms. 

2. A rat has-legs. 

3. The man has-eggs. 






ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


3 


LESSON 3 


and (and) 

eye 

hand (hand) 

nose (no§e) 

you (you) 

ear (ear) 

eyes 

hands (hands) 

noses (nos'es) 

You (Tou) 

ears (eai§) 

How 

many (men'y) 




(The pupils use each other’s names in the blanks.) 

I have one nose. 

I have two ears. 

I have two eyes. 

I have two arms and two hands. 

(One pupil reads the question and another the answer, modulating the 
voice accordingly.) 

How many noses lias-? 

---lias one nos6. 

How many ears lias-? 

He lias two ears. 

How many hands lias-? 

He has two hands and two arms. 

How many hands have you ? 

I have two hands and two arms. 

How many eyes have you ? 

I have two eyes. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. You-two ears. 

2. He-one nose. 

3. I-two hands. 












4 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 4 

What can (can) see hen (hen) 

any (en'y) Can (Can) lay (lay) hens (hens) 

in (in) my (my) My (My) Yes (Yes) 

(One pupil reads a question and another pupil reads the reply.) 



What can you see? 

I can see a hen. 

Can you see any eggs ? 

Yes, I can see many eggs. 
How many hens have you ? 
I have four hens. 

My hens lay many eggs. 

How many eggs have I in the pan? 

You have three eggs in the pan. 

How many legs has a hen ? 

A hen has two legs. 


WRITTEN WORK 

(Review) 

1. I can see-ear. 

2. I can see-nose. 

3. My liens -no hands'. 

4. A man-two hands and two legs. 






fat (fat) 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 5 



little (lit't’l) run (run) where 

Run (Run) Where 

Can you see a cat? 

Yes, I can see a cat and a fat little rat. 

Can the rat see the cat? 

Yes, the rat can see the cat. 

The rat can run. 

The cat can run. 

Run, little rat! Run! 

Where can the little rat run ? 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. You can see a-. 

2. I have three-in my hand. 

3. My hen lays many--. 

4. I have two-and two-—. 

5. How-eyes have you ? 








6 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 6 


who (who) 
Who ( IFho) 
hook (book) 


this (this) friend (friend) 
This (Tins) boy 
Oh (6 h) hat (hat) 


is (ij) 

Is (is) 
your (your) 


no (nd) 
No (No) 
not (n5t) 
his (hi§) 



Who is this ? 

This is my friend. 

Is your friend a man? 

Oh, no ! he is not a man. He 
is a boy. 

What has he in his hand? 

He has a hat in his hand. 
What have you in your hand ? 
I have a book in my hand. 
Can your friend see my fan ? 
No, he cannot see your fan. 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. -is a man. 

2. -is a boy. 

3. He lias a — 

4. This is a — 

5. Is-- 

6. He is not a 


your friend? 













ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 7 

LESSON 7 


cup (cup) 

tea (tea) 

water (waiter) 

there 

but (but) 

it (it) 

some 

There 

two (two) 

boy 

have (have) 

three 

Two (Two) 

boys 

Have (Have) 

Three 



give (give) 

will (wilZ) 

I have a cup in my hand. 

Have you a cup, — 

? 

Yes, 

-, I have 

a cup in my hand. 

There is 


some tea in my cup. Is there any tea in your cup ? 

There is not any tea in my cup, but there is some 


water in it. 

I will give you some tea. 

How many ears have two boys? 

Two boys have four ears. 

How many noses have three boys? 

Three boys have three noses. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Is there-water in your cup ? 

2. Yes, there is-water in my cup. 

3. There is not-tea in this cup. 


LESSON 8 

A GAME, “HOW MANY?” 
(To be supplied by the teacber.) 









ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 



LESSON 9 


to (to) like (like) 

goat (goat) 

Mr. Wang (Mr. Wang) 

do (do) likes (likes) 

milk (milk) 

Mr, Wang’s (Mr. Wang’s) 

Do (Dp) some 

goat’s (goat’s) 

eat (eat) 

at (at) Some 

on (on) hill (hilQ 

goats (goats) 

all (aU) 

What can you see 

? 


I can see a goat. 



Is this your goat? 


No, it is Mr. Wang’s goat. 

A goat likes to eat on the hill. 



Some goats give 1 milk. Do you like goat’s milk? 

No, I do not like it. 

I do not like milk at all, but I like tea. 

WRITTEN WORK 
(Review Sentences) 

1. Eats like to-. 

2. There-not any goats on the hill. 

3. There is not-milk in your cup, but there is —— 

tea in it. 

4. Mr. Wang gives-water to his goat. 

1 Tliis meaning of “give” should be carefully explained and distinguished 
from the more general meaning. 







ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


0 


LESSON 10 


near (near) be (be) 

fear (fear) she (she) 

live (live) She (She) 

lives (lives) her 

up (up) girl 


tall (talQ 
fall (falZ) 
stand (stand) 
stands (stands) 
home (home) 


chair 

flower (flow'er) 
flowers (flow'ers) 
flower-pot (flow'er-pot) 


Tliis little girl lives near my 
home. 

She is a fat little girl. 

She likes to be tall, so she 
stands up on a chair. 

She will fall, I fear. ' 

Oh, no, she has her hand on the 
flower-pot. She will not fall. She 
likes to see the flowers. 

Can you see the flowers in the 
flower-pot ? 



WRITTEN WORK 

1. I like to give flowers to-friends. 

2. Have you any milk in-cup ? 

3. He has a hat in-hand. 

4. The man gives some water to-goats. 

5. She lives in -home. 

6. The little girl has not a fan in-hand. 











10 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 11 

SENTENCES WITH ACTION 

(Students are to act out what they are reading. In conversation the names 
of different students should sometimes be substituted for “ he ” and “ they,” to 
give variety and additional drill.) 


walk (wa£k) 
walks (waZks) 
we (we) 

We (We) 


they 

sit down (sit down) 

read (read) 

They 

sits down (sits down) 

reads (reads) 

their 

open (o'p’n) 

close (el5§e) 

our 

opens (6 p’ns) 

closes (clones) 


I run. 

I walk. 

I stand. 

I sit down. 

I open my book. 

I read. 

I close my book. 

You walk. 

You stand. 

You open your book. 
You read your book. 
You close your book. 
You run. 

You sit down. 


We run. 

We walk. 

We stand. 

We sit down. 

We open our books. 
We read. 

We close our books. 

You walk. 

You stand. 

You open your books. 
You read your books. 
You close your books. 
You run. 

You sit down. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


11 


He sits down. 

He opens his book. 
He reads. 

He closes his book. 
He stands. 

He walks. 

He runs. 

-runs. 


They sit down. 

They open their books. 
They read. 

They close their books. 
They stand. 

They walk. 

They run. 

---and- 

run. 


WRITTEN WORK 


1. 

He 

his book. 

4. 

We 


2. 

I 

down. 

5. 

The boy — 

— good milk. 

3. 

You - 

-your book. 

6. 

My hen — 

— many eggs. 


LESSON 12 


do (do) 
does (dus) 
Does 
it (it) 

It 


meat (meat) 
much (much) 
picture (pic'ture) 
pictures (pic'tures) 
of (ov) 


that (that) 
That (That) 
very (ver'y) 
look (look) 
Look (Look) 


here (here) 

deer 

Deer 

come 

Come 


Do you like to look at pictures? 

Yes, I like very much to look at pictures. 














12 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 



Come here. Look at this picture. What is this? 

That is a picture of a goat. 

Oh, no! This is not a goat. It is a picture of a deer. 
Does a deer give milk ? 

No, a deer does not give milk, but we can eat the meat 
of the deer. Deer meat is very good to eat. 

WRITTEN WORK 


1. Meat is good — 

2. Books are good 







ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


13 


LESSON 13 

A PICTURE GAME 
(To be supplied by the teacher.) 


LESSON 14 


come 

comes 

all (alZ) 

All (A1Z) 
may (may) 


room 

door (d5er) 
morning (morn'ing) 
say (say) 
says (ses) 


please (please) 
Please (Please) 
thank 
Thank 
into (in'to) 


now 

Now 

good (good) 
Good (Good) 


Mr. Wang comes into the room and says, “Good morn¬ 
ing, boys.” 

All the boys stand and say, “ Good morning, Mr. Wang.” 

Mr. Wang sits down and says, “You may sit down, 
boys.” 

Mr. Wang says, “ Please close the door.” 

One of the boys closes the door. 

Mr. Wang says, “Thank you. Now you may open your 
books, boys.” 

All the boys open their books. 

What do they see in their books? 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. -a cow give milk ? 3. -you like to run ? 

2. -cats like to eat rats ? 





14 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 15 

are (are) full teacher (teach'er) friend (friend) 

write (write) sir brother (broth'er) friend’s (friend’s) 

city (cit'y) your (i/our) brother’s (broth'er’s) English (ing'glish) 

name (name) Your (Feur) well (welZ) Chinese (Chinese') 

What is my name ? 

Your name is Mr.-. You are my teacher. 

What is your name ? 

My name is-. 

Is that your full name ? 

No, sir, that is not my full name. My full name is 


Is that boy your brother,-? 

No, sir, this boy is not my brother, but he is my friend. 
What is your friend’s full name? 

My friend’s full name is --. 

Where does your friend live ? 

He lives in the city. 

Can you write your name in Chinese and in English ? 

I can write it in Chinese, but I can not write it well in 
English. 

WRITTEN WORK 


1. My full name is- 

2. My brother’s full name is 



















ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


15 


LESSON 16 


door (d5or) 
doors (door§) 
put 
Put 

are (are) 

Are (Are) 


window (win'dow) 
windows (win'dows) 
close (close) 

Close (Close) 
take (take) 


seat (seat) 
seats (seats) 
open (o'p’n) 
Open (O'p’n) 


How many doors are there in this room ? 
There are two doors in this room. 


desk (dgsk) 
desks (desks) 
too 
out 


How many windows are there in the room ? 

There are four windows in the room. 

Please open the window. No, no! Do not open that 
window. Open this one. Close that one. Thank you. 
Put your books in your desks, boys. 

Now you may take out your books. 


(One student reads and another answers the following questions.) 

Are there many seats in this room ? 

Are the boys in their seats now ? 

Are there any books on the desks ? 

Can you read Chinese books and English books, too ? 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. There-three windows in this room. 

2. There-one door in this room. 

3. There-many books in that boy’s desk. 





16 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 









ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


17 



LESSON 

17 


which (which) 

fine (fine) 

son 

girl 

Which (Which) 

other (oth'er) 

sons (son§) 

girls 

sister (sis'ter) 

father (farther) 

daughter (daw^A'ter) 

boy 

sisters (sis'ters) 

mother (moth'er) 

daughters (daughters) 

hoy’s 

sister’s (sis'ter’s) 

baby (ba/by) 

know (know') 

or 

woman (wom'an) 

family (fam'I ly) 


for 


This is a fine picture of a Chinese family. 

Which is the father? Which is the mother? 

How many sons have they ? 

How many daughters have they ? 

Do you know the name of that tall boy ? 

Do you know the names of his sisters ? 

Is the baby a boy or a girl ? 

How many brothers and sisters have you ? 1 
I can see a man, a woman, three boys, and two girls in 
this picture. 

Is there any other picture of a woman in this book? 
Look for one. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. My sister is my father’s-. 

2. Your brother is your father’s--. 

3. There are-boys and-girls in our family. 

1 To be answered according to the English method of counting, which ex- 
eludes the speaker. 





18 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 18 


with (with) 

wash 

claw (claw) 

old (old) 

pen (pen) 

washes 

claws (elaw§) 

hold (hold) 

pencil (pencil) 

word 

hear (hear) 

holds (holds) 

long (long) 

words 

both (both) 

catch (ea£ch) 

paw (paw) 

tongue 

foot (foot) 

catches (ea£ch'8§) 

paws (paws) 

face 

feet 



My teacher writes English words with his long pencil. 

I write Chinese words with a Chinese pen. 

With what do you hear? 

I hear with my ears. 

With what does your old cat catch the fat little rat? 

She catches the rat with her paws and holds it with her 
long claws. 

My cat washes her paw with her tongue and washes her 
face with her paw. 

Can you stand on one foot? 

Can a goat stand on two feet ? 

Can you run with one foot ? 

No, but I can run with both feet. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. My father is a --. 4. My sister is a-. 

2. My mother is a-. 5. My teacher is a-. 

3. My brother is a-. 6. My friend is a-. 








ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


19 


LESSON 19 

(To be supplied by the teacher.) 
WRITTEN WORK 

1. The old cat opens the door with her-. 

2. With what do you see ? I see with my — 

3. The little girl holds that picture with both 


LESSON 20 

thing (thing) 
anything (en'y thing) 

go (go) 

afternoon (aft'er noon 7 ) 
cake (cake) 
cakes (cakes) 

At the beginning of this dialogue , Speakers 1 and 3 are seated in the room. 
No. 2 knocks at the door. Each part should be acted out as the sentences are read. 

1. Do you hear that? Some one is at the door. 

Please open the door,-, and see who it is. 

2. {At the door) Good afternoon. 

3. Good afternoon, Mr.-. Please come in. 

1. (Rises and says) Good afternoon, Mr.-. Please 

take a seat. Take this chair. 

2. {Sits down and says) How are you to-day, Mr.-? 


day (da y) 
to-day (to-day') 
Good-by (Good'-by') 
another (an oth'er) 
this (this) 
these (the§e) 


will (will) 
Will (WiU) 
must (must) 
Must (Must) 
am (am) 
stay (stay) 










20 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


1. I am very well, thank you. How are you ? 

2. Thank you, 1 am very well. 

No. 3 goes out and comes in with a tray on which are three cups of tea, a plate 
of cakes, etc. He begins to serve the guest, saying, 

3. Will you have a cup of tea, Mr.-? 

2. Yes, thank you. 

3. Will you have milk in your tea? 

2. No, thank you, I do not take anything in my tea. 

1. Will you have a cake? 

2. ( Takes a cake ) Thank you, this is very good. 

After a few minutes, No. 1 passes the cakes again, saying, 

1. Please have some of these other little cakes. 

2. No, thank you, I must not take another. ( Rising ) 

3. Must you go now? 

2. Yes, I can not stay. I must go to see my friend, 

Mr.-. Please come to my home some day. Good-by. 

1 & 3 (Together). Good-by. , 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Good-. Please come in. 

2. I must go home. Good-. 

3. Will you have some cake,-? 

LESSON 21 

A BLINDMAN’S GAME 
(To be supplied by the teacher.) 








ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


21 



LESSON 22 


these (these) 

fly (fly) 

build (bwild) 

those (those) 

flying (fly'ing) 

building (baild'mg) 

hay (ha?/) 

sit (sit) 

read (read) 

box (box) 

sitting (sit'ting) 

reading (reading) 

bird 

do (do) 

school (school) 

birds 

doing (do'ing) 

take (take) 

bird’s 

use (use) 

taking (taking) 

bill (bill) 

using (us'mg) 

By and by (By and by) 

Sill (sIE) 

nest (nest) 











22 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Look at these two birds. What are they doing ? 

One is flying into the schoolroom. The other is sitting 
on a boy’s desk. He is looking at the boy, but the boy 
does not look up. 

Are those Chinese boys? 

No, they are English boys. 

What are they doing? 

They are reading. 

Can you see the bird in the little box ? 

Yes, she is the mother bird. The other bird is taking 
the hay in his bill to the little box on the window sill. 

What is the mother bird doing with the hay? 

She is using it to build a nest in the little box. By 
and by she will lay eggs in the nest. 

Is there a bird’s nest on your window sill? 

No, there is a box on my window sill, but the birds are 
not building in it. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. The mother bird is-a nest. 

2. 1 My teacher is-a cup of tea in his hand. 

3. The birds are not-into this room now, 

4. The boys are-at their desks. 

5. They are not-their pencils, 







ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


23 



LESSON 23 


five (five) 
six (six) 
seven (sev'’n) 
eight 


nine (nine) 
ten (ten) 
new (nu) 
lesson (les's’n) 


toe (tog) 
toes (t5gs) 
bee 

bees (bees) 


wing (wing) 
wings (wings) 
buzz (buzz) 
Buzz (Buzz) 


Can you see eight bees in this picture ? 

No, Mr. Wang, I can not see eight bees, but I can see 
five bees. 

How many wings has a bee ? 

A bee has two wings. 

How many legs has a bee? 

A bee has six legs. 

What does a bee say ? 

A bee says, “ Buzz ! buzz ! buzz ! ” 

Are there many new words in this lesson ? 

Do you know nine new words ? 

How many toes have you on one foot? 

How many toes are there on both feet ? 

There are ten toes on both feet. 

My father and mother have seven daughters. How 
many sisters have I? 


24 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


There are six sons in our family. How many brothers 
have I ? 

How many brothers and sisters have you? 

WRITTEN WORK 
(Make conditions true.) 

1. -boys are standing. 

2. -boys are sitting down. 

3. There are-books on the window sill. 

4. Our teacher has-pens in that old box. 

5. ---has-sisters. 

LESSON 24 

ill (ill) cold (cold) away (away') 

fill (fill) far (far) something (some'thing) 

mill (imU) from (from) sends (sends) 

Your father is not here this afternoon,-. Is 

he ill? 

No,-, he is not ill, but it is very cold to-day. 

He is an old man and can not go out in the cold. 

Is your mother well ? 

Yes, thank you, she is very well. She sends you these 
eggs. 

These are fine. Thank her very much. Will you please 













ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 25 

take something to your father and mother for me ? See ! 
I will fill this box full of little cakes. 

Oh, thank you! You are very good. They will like 
those very much. 

Here are some flowers for you. 

Thank you very much. 

Where is your home? Is it far from here? 

No,-, it is not far away. It is down near the 

old mill. 

Must you go? 

Yes, I must go home now and take these cakes to 

father and mother. Good-by, --. 

Good-by,-. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. -’s seat is far from the door. 

2. -’s desk is near our teacher’s desk. 

3. --’s home is-away. 

4. -’s home is-here. 

5. The bird can not fly-. 

LESSON 25 

A GAME, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” 

(To be supplied by the teacher.) 

















26 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 





map (map) 
small (smaU) 
row (idw) 
wet (vyet) 
net (net) 
star (star) 
starfish (star'fn 


large 

land (land) 
sand (sand) 
wish (wish) 
fish (fish) 
hook (book) 
7) line (ling) 
ox (ox) 


sea (sea) 
play (play) 
draw (draw) 
pull (pu 11 ) 
put (put) 
putting (put'ting) 
cart (cart) 
cargo (car'go) 


ship (ship) 
ships (ships) 
boat (b5at) 
boats (boats) 
finger (fin'ger) 
fingers (fin'gers) 
man (man) 
men (mSn) 

























ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 27 

These large ships go far out to sea. 

Do you like to look at the sea ? 

Yes, and I like to see the little boats, too. Do those 
small boats go out to sea with the large ships? 

No, they can not go very far. They must stay near the 
land. 

Can you row a boat ? 

I can row a small boat, but I can not row a large one. 

We can sit here and play in the sand. Will you play 
with me ? You and I can draw a map in the sand with 
our fingers. 

I do not like to draw maps. I wish to take a hook and 
line and catch some fish. 

I like to catch fish with a net. See, this net is wet 
now! There is a starfish in it. 

What are those men putting on the cart ? 

They are putting the cargo of the large ship on it. The 
ox will pull the cart. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. A-is very large. 

2. A-is small. 

3. You can-a-. 

4. I can not-a-. 

5. He-to play in the-. 









28 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 27 

bring (bring) floor (floor) off (off) then (then) head (head) 
Bring (Bring) under (un'der) coat (eoat) Then (Then) study (stud'y) 
hang (hang) still (still) cap (cap) get (get) lesson (les's’n) 

Bring your books here, --. 

Put your pen in this book, —:-. 

-, put one book on my desk and another one 

on the window sill. 

-, put that book on the floor under your seat. 

-, put all your books into your desk. 

.—-, you may open the door and go out of the 

room. Put your cap on your head. 

-, come and stand on the door sill. 

--, take off your cap and hold it in your hand. 

-, hang your coat up on this hook. 

--, take your English book out of your desk. 

--, take your seat and „ study your lesson well. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. The boy’s cap is-his desk. 

2. There is a new fan-this box. 

3. Take-your hat at the door. 

4. Put-your coat. 

5. Take your pen 


your desk. 




























ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


29 


bell (bel t) 
may (may) 
May (May) 
ring (ring) 


ball (baU) 
call (caU) 
fun (fun) 
kite (kite) 


LESSON 28 

make (make) 
making (mak'ing) 
game (game) 
games (games) 


go (go)_ 

going (go'ing) 



Will you play ball with the boys to-day? 

Yes, father says I may play games all / morning. 
There is no school to-day, you know. / The school 
bell will not ring to call the boys from / their play. 

Oh, that is fine! We are going on / the hill to play. 

May my little brother come, too? 

Yes, he may come with you, / but he is too little 
to play ball. 

He does not know how to play ball, but he will 
bring a kite. Father is /' making it. 

.Are all the boys here ? 

I will see. One, two, three, four, five, six, 

seven, eight, nine. Yes, all are here. 
What fun it will be to play ball with so 
many boys! 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. We like-play ball with the other boys. 

2. My brother is-little. 

3. I know how-. 







30 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 29 

sing (sing) sheet paper (pa'per) sentence (sen'tence) 

speak (speak) neat (neat) tell (tel?) notebook (notebook') 

try (try) blackboard (blackboard') 

Do you like to sing ? 

I like to sing in Chinese, but I do not know how to 
sing in English. 

You speak English very well. 

I try to speak English to iny teacher, and I try to write 
it, too. 

Do you write your sentences on a sheet of paper? 

No, I write all my English sentences in a notebook. 

Do you use a pen or a pencil ? 

1 use a pencil. Our teacher tells all the boys to use 
pencils. 

We try to make the notebooks very neat. 

Our teacher writes all the new words on the black¬ 
board. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. We are-boys. 

2. Our teacher writes - sentences on the black¬ 

board. 

3. I am not writing these-sentences with a- 

pen, but I am writing with a pencil. 






ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


31 


LESSON 30 

A GAME, “TELLING AND DOING” 
(To be supplied by the teacher.) 



LESSON 31 

get (get) lie (lie) cow (eow) weak (weak) 

Get (Get) bed (bed) cows (eowj) ride (ride) 

getting (get'tlng) shine (shine) look (look) riding (rid'ing) 

hot (hot) shining (shin'Ing) looking (look'ing) sun (sun) 











32 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Get up,-, get up! 

Do not lie in bed all day! 

Look out of the window. The sun is shining. It is a 
fine day. 

I can not look at the sun. My eyes are too weak. 

We must not stay indoors on a line day. I wish to 
walk on the hill this morning. 

Do you see those men ? What is that tall man doing ? 

That tall man is getting some hay for his cows. 

What is the boy doing ? 

The boy is riding on the ox. The ox is pulling the 
cart. 

What are those large birds doing ? 

Those large birds are looking for something to eat. 

It is very hot to-day. We must not stay out too long. 
We must go home now. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. My pencil is-that sheet of. paper. 

2. Hang your coat-. 

3. The mother bird uses the hay to build a nest- 

the box. 

4. The box is-the window sill. 

5. I like to play-my little brother. 









ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


33 



LESSON 32 

gold (gold) dish (dish) kill (kill') die (dig) they 

goldfish (gold'fish') time (time) year (year) let (let) them (thSm) 

See those fine goldfish! When the sun shines, they 
look like gold. May I put them on the window sill ? 

Oh, no! Do not put them on the window sill. Our 
old cat will kill them. Put them in the other room and 
close the door. Do not let the cat go in there. 

Do not fear. I will make the cat stay out. I wish 
these fish to live a long time. They may live a year. 

Please may I put one of those little goldfish in this 
dish ? I wish to give it to my friend. 
















34 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

You may have a fish, but you must not put it in that 
dish. It will fall out and die. You know a fish can not 
live out of the water. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. You-go home now. 

2. I-give you a goldfish. 

3. A fish -not walk. 

4. I-- not wish to eat an egg. 

5. The teacher says we-study our lessons well. 







A GATEWAY INTO ENGLISH 
FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Part II 






cook (eook) 
dinner (din'ner) 
bake (bake) 
baker (bak'er) 
miller (milZ'er) 
millstone (milestone') 


LESSON 1 

THE MILL 


old (old) 
older (dld'er) 
pick (pick) 
than (than) 
tall (taU) 
taller (talker) 


go (go) . 
goes (goes) 
white (white) 
ask (ask) 
round 

stone (stone) 


stop (stop) 
dear (dear) 
wheel 

when (when) 
rice (rige) 
flour 


The old miller stays in the mill all day. He does not 
go home for dinner. He likes his little daughter to bring 

37 



38 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

his dinner to the mill. Her mother cooks a good dinner ; 
then she calls, “ Here is your father’s dinner, dear. Take 
it to the mill. Father likes to eat it hot, you know. Do 
not stop to pick any flowers.” 

So the little girl walks fast. She does not stop at all. 

The miller’s daughter has a friend older than she is, 
and taller, too. This friend likes to go with her to the 
mill. 

The two girls like to see the large wheel go round and 
round in the water. They ask, “ What makes the wheel 
go round ? ” 

The miller says, “ The water makes it go. In the mill 
there are two large round stones. When the large wheel 
goes round, these stones go round and round, too. That 
makes the rice into fine white flour. The baker uses the 
flour to make cakes. He bakes very good little cakes.” 

“ May we go into the mill and look at the millstones, 
father?” 

“ Oh, no, no! You must not go into the mill, but you 
may stand at the door. You can see very well there.” 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Is your brother older than you are ? 

2. Is-taller than-? 






39 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 2 

THE CLOCK 


tick (tick) 
tock (tock) 
strike (strike) 
clock (clock) 
o’clock (o’clock') 


keep 

time (time) 
hour (Aour) 
it (it), 
its (its) 


eleven (e 18 v p n) 
twelve (twelve) 
before (be fore') 
half (liiiZf) 
quarter (quart' er) 


past (past) 
after (aft'er) 
large (large) 
larger (lar'ger) 


Have you a tall clock like this in your 
home,-? 

No,--, I have not a tall clock, 

but I have a small round clock in my room. 

Does your clock strike ? 

No, but it keeps time very well. 

This tall clock keeps time well, too. Can 
you hear it say, “ Tick, tock, tick, tock ” ? 

Yes, I can hear it far away. It strikes 
the hour, too. It says, “One, two, three, 
four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, 
twelve.’ 7 

Can you tell what time it is ? 

It is twelve o’clock. 

At what time do you eat dinner ? 

I eat dinner at a quarter past twelve o’clock. 

When do you go home ? 



















40 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

We go home at half past four. 

At what time do you get up in the morning ? • 

I get up at a quarter before seven. 

Clocks are like boys and girls. Do you know how ? 

A clock has a face. A girl has a face, too. 

A clock has two hands. A boy has two hands, but a 
boy’s hands are larger than the hands of a clock. 

What does a clock do with its hands ? 

What does a boy do with his hands ? 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Are there any little goldfish in this dish? 

2. Do you know how to play ball? 

3. Does your friend like to play, too ? 

LESSON 3 

A GAME, “WHAT TIME IS IT?” 

(To be supplied by the teacher.) 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. With what does a clock tell the time? 

2. What do you do with your hands? 

3. With what does a miller make the rice into fine 
white flour? 

4. With what does a bee fly ? 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


41 



farm (farm) 
farmer (farm'er) 
summer (sum'mer) 
neck (neck) 
cock (cock) 
fox (fox) 
foxes (fox'es) 


LESSON 4 

OUR FARM 

flock (flock) 
black (black) 
quack (quack) 
chick (chick) 
chicken (chicken) 
cluck (cluck) 


duck (duck) 
duckling (dhck'lmg) 
swim (swim) 
swimming (swim'ming) 
sly (sly) 
slyer (sly'er) 


My home is on a farm. My father is a farmer. 

We have a fine flock of hens and three or four large 
cocks. Our hens have many little chickens. 





















42 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

The old black hen says, “Cluck, cluck, cluck!” She 
is calling her little chicks to eat something. 

We have some ducks, too. Come to see our farm in 
the summer time. Then you will see the little ducks 
swimming in the water. The old duck says, “ Quack, 
quack, quack! ” and away the ducklings swim after her. 

The fox likes our hens and ducks. He says they are 
very good to eat. He takes a fine duck by the neck and 
runs away with it. Foxes are very sly. They are slyer 
than cats. 



(A Review of Prepositions.) 

1. Where is my coat hanging ? 

2. What am I putting into my desk ? 

3. What am I taking out of this box ? 

4. Is there anything on the floor under your seat? 

5. Is the school far from your home ? 



ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


43 


LESSON 5 


THE STONECUTTER 


block (block) 
blow (blow) 
cut (cut) 


sometimes (sometimes) 
stonecutter (stbnc'cut'ter) 


flat (flat) 
flaw (flaw) 
float (float) 
flow (flow) 
find (find) 


good (good) 


better (bet/ter) 


letter (let/ter) 
shop (shop) 
wind (wind) 
west (west) 
river (riv'er) 


clay (ela y) 


place (place) 
plan (plan) 
tool (tool) 


My friend’s father is a stonecutter. He can cut letters 
and flowers in stone with his tools. We boys like to see 
him cut a large block of stone. 

Sometimes there is a flaw in the stone. Then the stone¬ 
cutter says, “ I cannot use this. I must have good stone.” 
Then he looks and looks to find a better block. 

He makes a plan of the letters on a sheet of paper. 
He can write Chinese words very well, but he does not 
know how to write English. My friend writes the Eng¬ 
lish words on paper, and then his father cuts them in 
stone. 

A small river flows near the stonecutter’s shop. The 
old man puts the stones on a large, flat boat, and the boat 
floats down to the city. But when the west wind blows 
up the river, the boats cannot float down. 


44 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

There is some elay near the river. The boys like to 
play with this clay. They use it to make men and boys, 
cows, goats, deer, and many other things. The stone¬ 
cutter’s shop is a fine place for play. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. At what time do you come to school in the morning ? 

2. At What time do you go home in the afternoon ? 

3. At what time do you go to bed at night? 

4. Is this clock better than the clock in your room ? 

In this book there is a picture of: 


1. 

A boy- 

a ——. 


2. 

A hen- 

little - 


3. 

Two boys — 

their - 

• 

4. 

A ship- 

■ the 

-• 

5. 

A bird- 

hay 

- its - 

6. 

A mill- 

a-. 


7. 

A little girl 

-a — 

• 

8, 

A hen- 

a-. 


9. 

A man- 

- flay 

his 


10. Some goldfish-the 


11. A clock —— two — 

12. A bird flying-a 

13. A man-his- 






























ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


45 


LESSON 6 


THE LITTLE SEEDS 


glad (glad) 
such (shell) 
deep 
peep 
sleep 

young (young) 
us (fts) 
soon (soon) 
high (high) 
higher (hlgh'ev) 
sunshine (sun'shine') 


garden (gar'd’n) 
gardener (gar'd’n er) 
wake (wake) 
beautiful (bu'ti ful) 
rain (rain) 
wait (wait) 
me (me) 
kind (kind) 
begin (be gin) 
plant (plant) 
wise (wi§e) 
wiser (wls'er) 

Here are some little black flower seeds. 
When shall we plant them ? 

To-morrow I shall go out to the large 
flower gardens. Will you go with me ? The 
old gardener will tell us when to plant our 
seeds. He is much wiser than I am about 
such things. He knows what the young 
plants will need, too. They will need sun¬ 
shine, but it must not be too hot. They 
will need water, but they must not be too 
wet. 

The gardener says, “I think it will rain 


about (about') 

feed 

need 

seed 

weed 

indeed (indeed') 
him (him) 
shall (shah) 
to-morrow (tp-mor'row) 
next (nSxt) 
week 





46 ENGLISH FOE CHINESE STUDENTS 

next week. To-morrow I shall begin to plan my flower 
beds. Then I shall wait for the rain. When the rain 
begins, plant your seeds, and before long the young 
plants will begin to come up. Do not plant the seeds 
too deep. You will have to keep pulling up the weeds, 
or they will soon be higher than your plants. You will 
have to keep the birds away, too. Birds like to feed in a 
flower garden.” 

The gardener is very kind indeed. He is glad to tell 
us what we need to know. 

Where are you, little seeds? I cannot find you. Oh, 
here you are ! Soon we shall plant you all. You will go 
to sleep for three or four days. Then the sun will wake 
you up. Then you will peep out at him and say, “Thank 
you, kind sun.” By and by you will give us some beauti¬ 
ful flowers. 

WRITTEN WORK 

(Refer to the illustrations of Part I, Lesson 26.) 

1. How many men are sitting in that small boat? 

2. Is any one rowing the boat ? 

3. Are those men putting cargo on the ship ? 

4. Is that man catching any fish with his hook and 
line? 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


47 


LESSON 7 

(Pupils choose sides. Then Pupil No. 1 on Side A addresses the first 
question to Pupil No. 1 on Side B. After this is answered, Pupil No. 2 on 
Side B addresses question No. 2 to Pupil No. 2 on Side A, and so on.) 

1. At wliat time shall you get up to-morrow morning? 

2. When will the school bell ring? 

3. What books shall you study next year? 

4. What books will your brother study next year ? 

5. What will the boys play at half past four o’clock 
this afternoon ? 

6. What shall you do this afternoon? 

7. Will the baker bake some cakes for me? 

8. What shall we read to-morrow ? 

9. When will the clock strike? 

10. Do you think the sun will shine next week ? 

11. Will the rain make the river higher than it is 
now? 

12. Do you think the mother bird will lay eggs in 
that old nest ? 

13. When shall we know how to speak English well ? 

14. Shall you know how to speak English well year 
after next ? 

15. Will your brother know how to speak English 
next year ? 


48 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

WRITTEN WORK 

(In the following sentences fill the blanks with “ shall ” or “ will,” as may 
be required.) 

1. Here is some fine white flour. Now we - 

make some good little cakes. 

2. I-eat my dinner at twelve o’clock. At what 

time-you eat yours? When-the miller eat his? 

3. Do you think the west-wind-- blow to-morrow? 

4. The sly old fox-kill that young duck and eat 

it, I fear. 

5. You - And some beautiful flowers in Mr. 

Wang’s flower garden. He - fill your hands with 

flowers. 

6. Next week the stonecutter - use his tools to 

cut letters on a large, new stone. 

7. Where-you live next year ? -your family 

live there, too? 

8. -- we row this little boat on the river? 

9. Look at the rain! I-not go out to-day. 

10. Where-- you and your brother stay next sum¬ 
mer? Where -your father and mother be? 

11. - you plant your seeds this week or next 

week ? 

12. You 


need your notebooks to-morrow. 



















ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


49 


LESSON 8 

A PICNIC 


around (a round') 
back (back) 
last (last) 
lake (lake) 
each (each) 
nut (nut) 

boatman (boat'm|n) 

sell (sell) 

way (wa?/) 

side (side) 

cent (gent) 

dark (dark) 

park (park) 

part (part) 

picnic (pie'me) 

go (go) — went (went) 


are ( are) — were (were) 
is (is) — was (was) 
come (eome) — came (came) 
eat (eat) —ate (ate) 
get (get) — got (got) 
has (ha§) — had (h£d) 
have (have) — had (had) 
give (give) — gave (gave) 
run (run) — ran (ran) 
read (read) — read (read) 
ride (ride) — rode (rode) 
say (sa«/) — said (sed) 
sit (sit) — sat (sat) 
take (take) — took (took) 
fast (fast) —faster (fast'er) 
fine (fine) —finer (fln'er) 


One day last year two of my friends went with me out 
to West Lake Park on a picnic. West Lake Park is larger 
and finer than any other park in the city. 

We each took a book and a box full of little cakes and 

nuts. 

An old boatman came to us and said, “I will take you 
to the other side of the park for ten cents. Do you wish 


to go?” 

We each gave him ten cents and went in his boat. 


50 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

The lake was very beautiful. On it there were many 
other small boats. 

Soon we were in another part of the park, where there 
were many beautiful flowers. We sat on a long seat and 
read our books. 

Some boys were playing ball, and others were flying 
kites. 

Before long a boy came around with cups of tea to sell. 
We each took a cup and gave him a cent for it. Then we 
ate our cakes and nuts and had a good time. A little 
bird came and ate part of a nut out of my hand. 

I ran fast all the way back, and my friends rode in 
their chairs faster than I ran, but it was dark when we 
got home. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Do you know how to swim well? 

2. Is a duckling larger than a chicken ? 

3. What shall you do next summer? 

4. How many little chicks are running after the old 
hen ? 

5. Does the gardener keep pulling up the weeds in the 
garden ? 

6. Do you like to go on a picnic with some of yohr 
friends ? 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


51 



LESSON 9 


THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER 


buy (bay) 
light (II glit) 

lighthouse (%At'house') 

sail (sail) 

sailor (sail'er) 

sailboat (sail'boat') 

lamp (lamp) 

tower (tow'er) 

wood (wood) 

sight (sb/At) 

clean (clean) 

rock (rock) 

sky (sky) 

cloud (cloud) 


clear (elear)— clearer (elear'er) 
bright (brl^At)— brighter (brl^At'er) 
far (far) — farther (farther) 
young (young) — younger (youn'ger) 
hard (hard) .— harder (hard'er) 
thick (thick) — thicker (thicker) 
small (small) — smaller (small'er) 
see (see) — saw (sa w) 
keep (keep)— kept (kept) 
tell (tel l) — told (told) 
shine (shine) — shone (shone) 
die (die) — died (died) 
sing (sing) — sang (sang) 
begin (begin')— began (began') 






52 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


cloudy (cloud' y) 
wave (wave) 
oil 

work (wurk) 
clever (clev'er) 
never (nev'er) 
else (else) 
care (care) 
kitchen (kRch'en) 


blow (blow) — blew (blew) 
know {know) — knew (Amew) 
can (can) — could (cood) 
stand (stand) — stood (stood) 
hang (hang) — hung (hung) 
meal (meal) 
reader (read'er) 
to-night (to-night’) 
over (o'ver) 


The lighthouse is very much higher than the light 
keeper’s house. It is so high that the sailors can see it 
farther than anything else. 

Do you see that small house with a light in the window? 
That is where the light keeper lives with his little 
daughter. She is very young, but she is wiser than many 
older girls. When she was still younger, she took care of 
her mother, who was ill a long time. Last year her mother 
died, so now she takes care of her father. That smaller 
house is the kitchen where she cooks her father’s meals. 

One day the light keeper went away in his sailboat to 
buy rice, meat, eggs, wood, and many other things. He 
told his daughter to take good care of the house. “ I shall 
come back at five o’clock,” he said. “ Shall I bring you a 
new reader or a beautiful picture for your room? ” 

“ Oh, father, please bring me a new reader,” she said. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 53 

“ I like books better than pictures. When I have a good 
book, I never need any one to play with.” 

She sang all morning at her work. “This afternoon, 
when the house is clean,” she said, “ I shall go out on the 
rocks to look for father’s boat.” 

But at three o’clock the sky was cloudy, and the wind 
began to blow. It blew harder and harder, and the clouds 
began to get thicker and thicker. The waves were higher 
than a man’s head. No boat could sail on such a sea. 

“I must hang the lamp up in the lighthouse,” said the 
light keeper’s daughter. “The sailors will need a bright 
light to-night.” 

She knew how to clean the large lamp and fill it with 
oil, but she could not hang it up in the tower. At last 
she took a chair and stood on it, and hung it on the long 
hook. Then its light shone brighter and brighter out over 
the sea. Far away in his little sailboat the lighthouse 
keeper saw it and was glad. He kept in sight of the light, 
and at nine o’clock, when the sky began to get clearer, he 
came back to his clever little daughter. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Look at-beautiful flowers. The kind gardener 

to me. 


gave 




54 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

2. That woman cooks dinner for-sons. -likes 

to cook for-. -love-very much. 

3. The farmer feeds- ducks and chickens well. 

- calls-and-all run to-. 

4. -sat in-seats all morning. But at twelve 

o’clock-teacher told-to go home. 


LESSON 10 


new (new) — newer (new'er) 
near (near) — nearer (near'er) 
dear (dear) — dearer (dear'er) 
hot (hot) — hotter (hot'ter) 
cold (e51d) — colder (eold'er) 
dark (dark) — darker (dark'er) 


good (good) —better (bet' ter) 

well (wSU) — better (bet' ter) 

neat (neat) — neater (neat'er) 

my (my) 

mine (mine) 

your (your) 

yours (yours) 


(Each pupil reads one question, addressing it to any one in the class whom 
he chooses, provided that pupil has not already recited.) 


1. -, is your coat newer than mine ? 

2. -, is your mother dearer to you than your 

friend ? 

3. -, is-’s notebook neater than 

yours ? 

4. -, was it darker at three o’clock this morn¬ 

ing than it is now ? 

























ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


55 


5. -, is your seat nearer the teacher’s desk 

than-’s seat? 

6. -, these cakes are not very good. Have 


you any better ones? 

7. I am not writing these words very well,-. 

Will you please write them better? 

8. -, was it hotter last summer than it is 

now ? 

9. _, was it colder at two o’clock this morn¬ 

ing than it is now ? 

10. _, is your home farther from our school- 

house than -’s home? 

11. The waves on the lake are not high. —-, 

are the waves on the sea higher? 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Where does a gardener work ? 

2. Where does a miller work ? 

3. Where does a farmer work? 

4. What does a teacher do ? 

5. What does a stonecutter do ? 

6 Do you like a sailboat better than a ship ? 

7. Is an old man much wiser than a young man ? 

8. Can a fox run faster than a cat ? 




















56 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 11 

A DAY OF PLAY 


do (do) — did (did) 

hear (hear) — heard (herd) 

fly (fly) — flew 

hold (hold) — held (held) 

want (want) 

cut (cut) — cut 

make (make) — made (made) 

put (put) — put 

catch (eatfch) — caught (esmyAt) 

speak (speak) — spoke (spoke) 

fall (faU)— fell (feU) 

ring (ring) — rang (rang) 

bring (bring) — brought (brat) 

lie (lie) — lay (lay) 

teach (teach) — taught (i&ughV) 

strike (strike) —struck (struck) 

long (long) — longer (lon'ger) 


butterfly (but'ter fly) 
kindly (kind'ly) 
playday (play'day') 
plaything (play'thing') 
playmate (play'mate') 
together (to geth'er) 
herself (her self') 
late (late) 
song (s5ng) 
story (sto'ry) 
again (a gen') 
more (more) 
well (welZ) 


Flower Sister was a little girl who did not like to 
study. One morning when the clock struck eight, her 
mother told her it was time to go to school. “ Oh, 
mother,” she, said, “may I stay at home to-day? I do 
not wish to study or work all day. Please let me have 
one day for play.” 

“Very*well,” said her mother, “you may play all day 
long. You need not do any work at all.” 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 57 

“ Oh, that will be fine! ” said Flower Sister. “ What a 
good time I shall have! ” 

When the other girls came past the house on their way 
to school, they saw Flower Sister standing at the door* 
“ Come, Flower Sister,” they said, “get your books. You 
will be late.” 

“ I am not going to school to-day,” she said. 

“ Are you ill? ” 

“ Oh, no! But mother says I may play all day.” 

When the other girls heard this, some of them did not 
want to go to school, but at last they all went on. Flower 
Sister stood at the door and sang a glad little song. The 
sun shone, the birds flew here and there, and the flowers 
held up their beautiful faces to the sun. Flower Sister 
cut some flowers and put them in her mother’s room. 
Then she made a small net and caught a butterfly. 

After that she read a new story in her reader. When 
her mother saw her, she took the book away. “ You must 
not study to-day, my dear,” she said. “ You are to play 
all day long.” 

« Oh, I like to read,” said Flower Sister. “ Please let 
me have the book to look at pictuies. 

“No,” said her mother. “These are lessons. I told 
you that you need not have any lessons to-day.” 


58 ENGLISH FOR . CHINESE STUDENTS 

Flower Sister went into her room. Her old coat hung on 
a hook on the door. “I will wash my coat,” she said 
to herself. “ Mother likes to have all my coats clean.” 

She went to the well to get some water, but her mother 
said, “What are you doing? That is work. You must 
not do that to-day.” 

She spoke kindly, but Flower Sister’s face fell . 1 She 
could not sing a glad song now. After dinner, when the 
schoolbell rang, she said, “ Please let me go to school this 
afternoon, mother.” 

But her mother said, “ No. This is your playday, you 
know.” 

Flower Sister did not know what to do. She brought 
out her playthings, but the other girls were all in school, 
so she had no playmates. She lay down on her bed, but 
she could not sleep. That day was longer for her than 
any other day in the year. At last the long, long day was 
over. When Flower Sister went to bed, she said, “ No 
more playdays for me, mother. I shall never wish to stay 
at home from school again.” 

That one day taught her a good lesson. She knew now 
that work and play together are much better than all play 
and no work. 


1 She looked unhappy . 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


59 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. What did you eat for dinner yesterday? 

2. Did the sun shine yesterday? 

3. Did you come to this school last year? 

4. Did you take any books home yesterday afternoon ? 

5. Did the wind blow hard last night ? 


LESSON 12 

THE DAYS OF THE WEEK 


first (first) 

Sunday (Sun'day) 
second (sec'ond) 
Monday (Mon'day) 
third (third) 
Tuesday (Tues'day) 
fourth (fourth) 


fifth (fifth) 

Thursday (Thurs'day) 
sixth (sixth) 

Friday (Fri'clay) 
seventh (sSv'-’nth) 
Saturday (Sat'ur day) 
minute (min'it) 


yesterday (yes'ter day) 
ago (ago') 
essay (es'say) 
holiday (hol'I day) 
church (church) 
repeat (re peat') 


Wednesday (Wednesday) 


Can you repeat the names of the seven days of the week ? 

(One pupil asks and another answers each of the following questions. Each 
pupil should prepare an answer to each question before coming to class.) 

What is the name of the first day of the week ? 

What is the third day of the week ? 

What is the seventh day of the week ? 

What day is to-day ? 

What day will to-morrow be ? 


60 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

What day will day after to-morrow be ? 

What day was yesterday ? 

On what day do you have a holiday ? 

On what day do you write a Chinese essay ? 

On what day do you go to church ? 

Yesterday I brought a beautiful picture to school. 
What did you do day before yesterday ? 

Ten minutes ago I wrote that sentence on the black¬ 
board. What did you do five minutes ago? 

Where shall you go next Saturday afternoon ? 

WRITTEN WORK 
(A Diary.) 

1. On Sunday afternoon at four o’clock I-. 

2. On Monday morning at seven o’clock I-. 

3. Last Tuesday I-. 

4. Wednesday morning my friend and I--. 

5. Thursday evening we all-. 

6. Friday afternoon all the boys-. 

7. Last Saturday afternoon I-. 

LESSON 13 

A GAME, “WHAT DID YOU DO ? 

(To be supplied by the teacher.) 










ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


61 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. Is-’s coat thicker than this coat ? 

2. Can a deer run faster than a goat ? 

3. Is the sun much brighter than the stars ? 

4. Is this flour finer than Chinese flour? 

5. Is the sky clearer now than it was at seven o’clock 
this morning? 


LESSON 14 


OUR KITTENS AND THEIR RELATIVES 


whiskers (whisk'ers) tooth (tooth) 

night (night') teeth 

become (be come') mane (mane) 

because (be eawsc') tiger (ti'ger) 

hunt (hunt) lion (li'on) 

fur (fur) it 

bone (bong) itself (it self') 

stripe (stripe) yellow (ySl' 16 w>) 

tame (tamg) hair (hair) 

pet (pet) climb (elimi) 

strong (strong) — stronger (stron'ger) — strongest (stron'gest) 
large (large) — larger (lar'ger) — largest (lar'gest) 
thick (thick) — thicker (thick'er) — thickest (thickest) 
long (long) — longer (lon'ger) —longest (lon'gSst) 
hot (hot) —hotter (hot'ter) — hottest (hot'test) 
sly (sly) — slyer (sly'er) — slyest (sly'est) 
good (good) — better (bet'ter) —best (best) 
well (well) — better (bet'ter) — best (best) 


kitten (kit't’n) 
relative (rel'a tive) 
member (mem'ber) 
animal (an'i m^l) 
body (bod'y) 
keen 

soft (s»ft) 
world (wurld) 
wild (wild) 
steal (steal) 




62 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

kind (kind) —kinder (land'er) — kindest (kind'est) 
gentle (gen't’l) — gentler (gen'tier) — gentlest (gen'tlgst) 
sharp (sharp)— sharper (sharp'er) — sharpest (sharp'est) 

Do yon know that our old mother cat and her three 
little kittens have many relatives who are very much larger 
and stronger than they are ? These relatives do not look 
like our kittens at all, but they are like them in many 
ways. Can you tell a member of the cat family from any 
other animal? 

A member of the cat family has a long body, keen eyes 
and ears, sharp teeth, long whiskers, and soft paws with 
sharp claws. 

At night when it is dark, the eyes of these animals 
become larger and brighter. This is because they hunt for 
smaller animals at night, so they need to see best of all 
then. They catch and kill these animals with their claws 
and pull the meat off the bones with 
their claws and teeth and tongues. 

The lion is the largest and strong¬ 
est of all the members of the cat 
family. It has beautiful thick fur. 
The largest, thickest hair on its body 
is on its head. This is its mane. It 
is thicker than a horse’s mane. 



ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


63 


The tiger is a little smaller than the lion, but it some¬ 
times kills other animals larger than itself. A tiger has 
no mane, but there are beautiful black 
and yellow stripes on its body. Tigers 
and lions live in the hottest parts of 
the world. 

The wild cat is not very much larger 
than the tame cats that we have in our 
homes, but it kills many, many smaller 
animals. All the members of the cat 
family are sly, and the wild cat is one 
of the slyest. It likes to climb over 

the wall to steal our hens and chickens. 

Some day we shall read about the other 
members of the cat family. We like the 
cats in our homes best of all. They are 
the kindest and gentlest of pets. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. How many months ago did you begin to study 
English ? 

2. How long ago did you have a holiday ? 

3. How many minutes ago did the clock strike ? 

4. At what time did you go to church last Sunday? 




64 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 15 

A CONTEST 
(To be supplied by the teacher.) 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Did-jump higher than-yes¬ 

terday ? 

2. Who spoke the plainest English of all ? 

3. Which contest did you like best of all ? 

4. Did-draw a better picture than-? 

Who drew the best picture of all ? 


LESSON 16 


13 thirteen (tlnr'teen') 

14 fourteen (fowr'teen') 

15 fifteen (fifteen') 

16 sixteen (six Teen') 

17 seventeen (s8v'’n teen') 

18 eighteen (e^At'een') 

19 nineteen (nine'teen') 

20 twenty (twen'ty) 

21 twenty-one (twen'ty-wun') 

22 twenty-two (twen'ty-tW) 

23 twenty-three (twen'ty-three') 

24 twenty-four (twen'ty-fowr') 

25 twenty-five (twSn'ty-five') 

26 twenty-six (twen'ty-six') 


27 twenty-seven (twen'ty-sev’n') 

28 twenty-eight (twen'ty-e^At') 

29 twenty-nine (twenTy-nine') 

30 thirty (thlr'ty) 

40 forty (for'ty) 

50 fifty (fif'ty) 

60 sixty (six'ty) 

70 seventy (sgv'’nty) 

80 eighty (ez^At'y) 

90 ninety (nlne'ty) 

100 one hundred (one hfin'dred) 
page (page) 
person (per's’n) 

Student (stu'dent) 








ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


65 


(One student asks and another answers each of the following questions.) 

How old are you ? 

How old were you three years ago ? 

How old shall you be ten years from now ? 

How old shall you be thirty years from now ? 

When shall you be twenty-one years old ? 

How many students are there in this room ? 

How many students are there in this school? 

How many pages are there in your reader ? 

How many pages are there in this book ? 

How many lessons are there in this book ? 

How many persons are there in your family ? 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Who is the oldest member of your family? 

2. Are a tiger’s teeth sharper than a fox’s teeth ? 

3., When you are twenty-five years old, shall you be 
much stronger than you are now ? 

4. What is the hottest time of the day? 

5. What lesson did you study two days ago? 

6. Is this lesson harder than the lesson was yesterday ? 

7. When are a cat’s eyes the brightest? 

8. Is English much harder for you to write than 
Chinese? 


66 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 17 

I’LL TRY 


reply (re ply') — replied (re plied') 
study (stud'} r ) — studied (studied) 
learn (lern)— learned (lernd) 
stay (stay) — stayed (staged) 
fear (fear) —feared (feared) 
live (live)—lived (lived) 
finish (fin'ish) — finished (fin'isht) 
earn (ern)— earned (ernd) 
seem (seem) — seemed (seemed) 
leave (leave) — left (left) 
call (caU) — called (eaUed) 
feel (feel)—felt (felt) 
may (may) —might (might') 
ask (ask) — asked (askt) 
wish (wish) — wished (wisht) 
like (like) — liked (llkt) 
look (look)—looked (lookt) 
work (wurk) — worked (wurkt) 
stop (stop) — stopped (stdpt) 
sleep (sleep) — slept (slept) 
reap (reap) — reaped (rept) 
help (help) — helped (helpt) 
body (bod'y) — bodies (bodies) 
class (class) 

hire (hire) hoe (hoe) 

train (tram) dig (dig) 

term (term) early (er'ly) 

uncle (un'k’l) ripe (ripe) 


flesh 

show (show) 
till (tilZ) 

perhaps (perhaps') 
always (al'wayg) 
absent (ab'sent) 
poor (poor) 
money (mon'ey) 
mind (mind) 

shopkeeper (shop'keep'er) 
blister (blis'ter) 
muscle (mus'd) 

America (A mer'iea) 
China (Chi'na) 
hope (h5pe) 
ever (ev'er) 
every (6v'er y) 
few 

real (re'al) 

I’ll (T\l) 
can’t (can’t) 
there’s (tiiere’§) 
don’t (don’t) 
why (why) 
sad (sad) 
right (right) 
tired (tired) 
motto (mot'to) 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 67 

This is a picture of a boy who lived in China a few 
years ago. Perhaps he might not wish me to tell you his 
real name, so I will tell you 
the name that his teacher 
gave him. His teacher always 
called him “ I’ll Try.” 

Do you know why she gave 
him this name ? When she 
asked the boys in her class to 
do anything hard, many of 
them said, “ I can’t,” but this 
boy always said, “ I’ll try.” 

He was not a very clever stu¬ 
dent, but he always studied 
hard and learned his lessons 
well. He said he wished to be a teacher. 

One day I’ll Try was absent from school. He stayed 
away two weeks, and his teacher feared that he was ill. 

At last he came back, but his face was very sad. He 
said to his teacher, “ My father died a week ago. My 
mother is very poor, so she cannot give me any more 
money to come to school. She says I may finish this 
term of school, but I cannot study next term.” 

“ How old are you? ” asked his teacher. 




68 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

“I am seventeen years old/’ said I’ll Try. 

“ Perhaps you can work in the summer and earn some 
money to come to school.” 

I’ll Try liked that plan very much. He went to see 
many shopkeepers and asked them to give him some 
work in the summer. But no one wished to hire a boy. 

“ Don’t give up,” said liis teacher. “Perhaps you can 
find some work near your home. Where there’s a will, 
there’s a way.” 

I’ll Try’s uncle lived on a farm. I’ll Try went to see 
him. “May I work on your farm this summer, uncle? ” 
he asked. 

His uncle looked at him. “ You do not know how to 
work with your hands,” he said. 

“Please let me try, uncle,” said I’ll Try. “ I will do 
my best.” 

“Very well,” replied the farmer, “but I fear it will be 
too hard. Here is a hoe. Let me see you dig.” 

I’ll Try took the hoe and began to dig. Before long 
there were blisters on his hands. The sun shone hotter 
and hotter. His uncle was right. It was hard work. 
But I’ll Try did not stop. He worked on and on till 
dinner time. 

After dinner he felt better and began to dig again. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 69 

The farmer and his sons were older and stronger than he 
was, but he did not stop work till they stopped. At 
night lie was very, very tired, but he went to sleep early 
and slept well. 

Every day I’ll Try worked better, and the work did not 
seem so hard. Week after week he kept at it. When the 
rice was ripe, the farmers reaped it, and he helped them. 
At last he left the farm, for it was time to go to school. 

I’ll Try was very glad to see his teacher again. I can 
stay at school,” he said. “I earned some money on my 
uncle’s farm, and I shall earn more next summer.” 

I’ll Try studied better that term than ever before. His 
mind seemed clearer. Do you know why? Because a 
strong mind needs a strong body. Work makes our 
bodies stronger. Look at the picture of I’ll Try. See 
how large the muscles of his legs are. Hard work 
makes our muscles stronger and our flesh harder. 

Do you know where I’ll Try is now? He is a student 
in America. He works hard there, too. Before he went 
to America, he gave me this picture and said, “You may 
show this to other Chinese boys. I hope they will all 
learn my motto — 

"A OU iAMsHJy, 6/ OU 


70 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


WRITTEN WORK 


1. Do you wish to be a shopkeeper when you are a 
man? 


2. Which story do you like best, “ The Lighthouse 
Keeper’s Daughter,” “A Day of Play,” or “ I’ll Try”? 
Why do you like it best? 

3. Was the lighthouse keeper’s daughter better than 
Flower Sister ? Why ? 

4. How many days were you absent from school last 
term ? 

LESSON 18 


goods (goods) 
sale (sale) 
color (eol'ejr) 
spend (spend) 
seated (seat'ed) 
whole (whole) 


gentleman (gen't’l man) 

red (red) 

cost (cost) 

piece (pieqe) 

rest (rest) 

only (on'ly) 


cloth (cl5th) 
stripe (stripe) 
striped (stripped or stript) 
cotton (eot't’n) 
blue (blue) 
flannel (flan'nel) 
dollar (dol'ler) 
thin (thin) — thinner (thin'ner) — thinnest (thin'nest) 
dark (dark) — darker (dark'er) — darkest (dark'est) 
wide (wide) — wider (wid'er) — widest (wTd'est) 
cheap (cheap) — cheaper (cheap'er) — cheapest (cheapest) 
narrow (nar'row) — narrower (nar'row er) — narrowest (nar'row Sst) 
fine (fine) —finer (fin'er) — finest (fin'est) 


1. Will you please go to the cloth shops with me to¬ 
day, -? 




ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 71 

2. Yes, I shall be very glad to go with you,---. 

What kind of cloth do you wish to buy ? 

1. I am planning to buy some striped cotton cloth to 
make a coat for my younger sister. Then, too, I must 
buy some dark blue flannel that mother wrote me to get. 

(No. 1 and 2 ivalk along until they come to a shop , kept by 
No. 3 with other students acting as clerks .) 

2. Here is a large shop. Let us see what they have 
for sale. 

3. Good afternoon. What can I show you to-day, sir? 

1. Please show me some cotton cloth with fine stripes. 

3. ( Turning to No. 4 , a clerk.) This gentleman wishes 
to look at striped cotton goods. 

4. (Leading the way to another counter and drawing out 
chairs.) This way, sir. Please be seated. Here is some 
very good cloth — white, with blue stripes. 

1. That is too light. It will not keep clean very long. 
Please show me something darker. 

4. Here is some blue cloth with black stripes. Do 
you like this better ? 

1. Yes, the color is just right, but it is too thick. 
Have you any thinner cloth? 

4. Yes, sir, here is some a little thinner, with red 
stripes. 




72 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

2. That is not very wide. Is this the widest you 
have ? 

4. We have thicker cloth that is much wider, but it is 
English goods and costs more. Shall I show it to you ? 

1. No, never mind. This narrow cloth will do. How 
much is it a foot ? 

4. Ten cents a foot or two dollars for the piece. 

2. How many feet are there in a piece ? 

4. Twenty-three. 

1. I do not need so much. It takes only eight feet to 
make a coat. 

2. But it is a little cheaper to buy the whole piece. If 
you need only eight feet, I can use the rest. 

1. Very well, I will take the whole piece. Now will 
you please show us some dark blue flannel ? 

4. Do you wish to see the finest that we have ? 

1. No, I cannot buy the finest flannel. Mother does 
not wish to spend much money for it. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Where did you live when you were ten years old? 

2. Do you hope to go to America some day ? 

3. What do you hope to do when you go to America ? 

4. Are there many Chinese boys like I’ll Try ? 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


73 


LESSON 19 


8th — eighth (e^Ath) 

9th — ninth (ninth) 

10th — tenth (tenth) 
nth — eleventh (eleventh) 
12th — twelfth (twelfth) 

13th—thirteenth (thirteenth) 
20th — twentieth (twen'ti eth) 


21st — twenty-first (twen'ty-first') 
30th — thirtieth (thir'ti gth) 

40th — fortieth (for'ti eth) 

50th — fiftieth (fif'ti eth) 

60th — sixtieth (six'ti 8th) 

70th — seventieth (sev p n ti eth) 

100th—one hundredth (wun hun'- 


list (list) 
review (re vie w') 
question (ques'chun) 
mean (mean) 
slow (slow) 


dredth) 

order (or'der) 
number (num'ber) 
plainly (plain'ly) 
answer (an'swer) 


Here is a long list of words on the blackboard. You 
know them all, for they are review words. You studied 
them only a few weeks ago. Now I shall number each 
one plainly. Can you all read the numbers ? One 
student may ask a question and call on another student 
to answer it. 

1. -, what is the tenth word? 

2. -, what is the seventy-second word? 

3. - -, is the one hundred and third word 

longer than the fourteenth ? 

4. - ——, please read from the eighty-sixth word 

to the ninety-first. 










74 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


5.-, what does the sixty-ninth word mean? 

You may ask any questions you wish to about these 
words, but do not be too slow. 

Now let all the students stand in a long line. 

-, who is the fifteenth one in the line? 

-—, in what place does-— stand in the 

line ? 

No, he is not the twenty-third. Look again. 

Yes, you are right this time. He is the twenty-fourth. 

Let each boy pick out another boy and tell in what 
order he stands. 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. What is the color of this cloth? 

2. How much money do you spend for books every 
term ? 

3. How many dollars can a farmer earn in one month ? 

4. Does flannel cost more than cotton cloth? 

5. How much does a coat like this cost? 

6. Is this wider cloth English goods ? 


LESSON 20 

A NUMBER GAME 
(To be supplied by the teacher.) 










ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


75 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. In wliat place did you stand in the line yesterday? 

2. Did you like the fourteenth lesson in this book 
better than the eighth lesson ? 

3. At what time did you go to bed last night ? 

4. At what time did you get up this morning? 

5. How many hours did you sleep last night? 

6. Is this the ninth week of school ? 

7. How many weeks are there in this term? 


LESSON 21 


nothing (nothing) 
none (none) 
loom (loom) 
parent (par'ent) 
guide (g'wide) 
thread (thread) 
start (start) 
street 

often (of p n) 
smooth (smooth) 
even (e'vn) 
front (front) 
mistake (mis take') 
wear (wear) 
dead (dSad) 
plenty (plen' ty) 
weaver (weav'er) 


gentleman (gen't’l man) — gentlemen (gSn't’l mgn) 

spin (spin) — spinning (spm'nmg) 

weave (weave) — weaving (weav'ing) 

use (uge) — useful (use'ful) 

rest (rest) — restful (rest'ful) 

thank (thank) — thankful (thank'ful) 

help (help) —helpful (help'ful)’ 

skill (skilZ) — skillful (sldU'ful) 

happy (hap'py) — happier (hap'pi er) 

slow (slow) — slowly (slow'ly) 

careful (eare'ful) — carefully (eare'fully) 

busy (big'y) — busily (bis'i ly) 

close (close) — closely (close'l) r ) 

quick (quiek) — quickly (quiek'ly) 

easy (eas'y) — easily (eas'i ly) 

watch (watch) — watches (wat'ch eg) 







ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 77 

What a busy, busy place this is! Do you know what 
these boys are doing? 

The younger boys are spinning thread and the older ones 
are weaving the thread into cloth. They are making the 
looms go with their feet, but they have to guide the thread 
very carefully with their hands. If they are not careful, 
the cloth will not be smooth. That man who is standing 
in front of the looms is the teacher. He watches each 
boy very closely to see that he does not make mistakes. 

Spinning is easier than weaving, but the younger boys 
are also working very busily, 

Two years ago none of these boys knew how to work. 
They did not know how to read or write, for their parents 
were dead and they had no money to go to school. Then 
a kind gentleman asked some other gentlemen to help 
him start, a school where boys could learn to be useful 
men. Half of the boys study in the morning and work 
in the afternoon. The other boys work in the morning 
and study in the afternoon. This is much more restful 
than studying all day or working all day. 

Two years ago these boys were playing on the street all 
day long, but they are much happier now than they were 
then. Then they had no one to care for them, and often 
they had nothing to eat and very little to wear. Now 


78 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


they are so thankful to have a good, clean place to live in, 
plenty to eat, plenty to wear, and kind, helpful teachers. 

When the boys begin to weave, they weave very slowly, 
but little by little they get more skill and work more 
quickly. A skillful weaver can easily earn a good living. 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. What do we call a man who works on a farm? 

2. What do we call a man who keeps a shop ? 

3. What do we call a man who keeps a lighthouse? 

4. What do we call a man who bakes cakes ? 

5. What do we call a man who weaves cloth ? 

6. Which one of these men is the most useful? Why? 


LESSON 22 

THE CALENDAR 


spring (spring) 
summer (sum'mer) 
autumn (aw'ttinm) 
winter (win'ter) 
globe (globe) 
earth (erth) 
leap (leap) 
people (pe'p’l) 
country (eettn'try) 
countries (eoun' tries) 


month (month) 
foreign (for'eiyn) 
season (se's’n) 
western (west'ern) 
according (aeeord'ing) 
calendar (eal'en der) 
January (Jan'u a ry) 
February (Fgb'ru a ry) 
March (March) 


April (A'pnl) 

May (May) 

June (June) 

July (July'y 
August (August) 
September (Sep tem'ber) 
October (Oeto'ber) 
November (No vSm'ber) 
December (De§em'b&r) 


Here is an English calendar. The people of all western 
countries use this calendar. China is beginning to use 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


79 


it, too; but many Chinese people still use the old Chinese 
calendar. 

What is the name of the second month ? 

What is the name of the eighth month ? 

What month is this ? 

What day of the month was yesterday ? 

There are four seasons in the year—spring, summer, 
autumn, winter. 

March, April, and May are the spring months. 

June, July, and August are the summer months. 

September, October, and November are the autumn 
months. 

December, January, and February are the winter 
months. 

Look at the calendar and find out how many days there 
are in each month. 

We live on a globe called the earth. This globe goes 
round the sun in three hundred and sixty-live days and 
a few hours. That is why there are three hundred and 
sixty-five days in a year. Every fourth year is a leap 
year. There are three hundred and sixty-six days in a 
leap year. Do vou Know why it is called a leap veai ? 

How many days are there in a year according to the 
old Chinese calendar ? 


80 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. That girl takes good care of her little sister. She is 

a very-ful girl. 

2. The old stonecutter has great skill in cutting stone. 

He is very-ful. 

3. I like to rest in this room. It is a-ful place. 


LESSON 23 

rhyme (rAy me) recite (re qlte f ) just (just) 

forget (for get') except (ex sept') alone (a ldne') 

This rhyme will help you not to forget how many days 
there are in each month. Learn it and recite it to-morrow. 


“ JftuAJ/ifs 

OhsUt, (Jm/iWs, ayrucL 7lxynyeym2>-eyo. 

6U2 tA& 6ayyo t2iiAXy^-<yrUy 

6.£&amsoL rnxyrtfJv a2ono, 




— ru> 


■myJAyO, 

13at tu^^yriZn^-rum^ orus 




i/n> 





ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


81 


WRITTEN WORK 

1. This is a very easy lesson. I can-learn it in 

half an hour. 

2. You are not a careful student. You do not study-. 


LESSON 24 

MAY DAY 


of course (of course) 

Miss Black (Miss Black) 

Miss King (Miss King) 

carpenter (eiir'pen ter) 

Maypole (Maypole') 

middle (mid'd’l) 

kindergarten (kin 'der gar'ten) 

march (march) 

delightful (de li^At'ful) 

music (mu'gie) 

ribbon (rib'bon) 

guest (guest) 

party (par'ty) 

gayly (gat/'ly) 

pole (pole) 

lawn (lawn) 

top (t5p) 

most (most) 

house (house) 

own (own) 

organ (or'g§n) 

end (end) 

neatly (neat'ly) 


wind (wind) — wound (wound) 
unwind (un wind') — unwound 

(un wound') 

tie (tie) — tied (tied) 

brush (brush) — brushed (brusht) 

hammer (ham'mer) - — hammered 

(ham'mered) 

show (show) — showed (showed) 
skip (skip) — skipped (skipt) 
serve (serve) — served (served) 
thank (thank) — thanked (thankt) 
march (march) — marched (marcht) 
start (start) — started (start'ed) 
invite (in vite') — invited (in vit'ed) 
mend (mend)— mended (mend'gd) 
braid (braid) — braided (braid'ed) 
paint (paint) — painted (paint'ed) 
pound (pound) — pounded (pound'ed) 
count (count) — counted (count'ed) 
need (need) — needed (need'Sd) 
seat (seat) — seated (seat'ed) 
want (want) — wanted (want'ed) 
nearly (near'ly) 




82 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


It was tlie first day of May — the most beautiful day of 
spring. Miss Black and Miss King were planning to give 
their girls a holiday. 

“ To-day is May Day / 7 they said. “ Each of you may 
invite two guests to come to our May party / 7 So the 
girls invited their mothers and sisters. 

In the morning the girls mended their clean coats, and 
brushed and braided their hair very neatly. Nearly every 
girl tied a bright ribbon on her hair. 

At eleven o’clock the carpenter brought a tall, gayly 
painted pole from his shop. He hammered and pounded 
till at last there stood a fine Maypole in the middle of the 
lawn. 

The girls did not know what a Maypole was, but Miss 
Black soon showed them. First, she counted the girls to 
see how many ribbons she needed. “ Just twenty-two,” 
she said. “ We must have a ribbon for each girl.” Then 
she tied twenty-two long red and blue ribbons to the top 
of the Maypole. 

After dinner, when the guests came, the teachers seated 
them where they could see the Maypole. Of cours 
every mother wanted to see her own daughter. 

The kindergarten teacher showed the girls howto stan 
in order and gave an end of a ribbon to each one. A 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


83 


soon as Miss King began to play the organ, the girls 
started to march around the pole. Then they began to 
skip in and out, and as they skipped they wound the 
ribbons round and round the pole. At last the music 
stopped; then the girls stopped, too. What a beautiful 
Maypole it was! 

The music began again, and the girls skipped in and 
out again and unwound the ribbons. Then they all stood 
in their places and sang songs. 

After that, the teachers invited the guests into the 
house and served them with tea and cake. 

Before the girls’ mothers went home, they thanked the 
teachers and said they were glad to see their daughters 
having such a good time. The girls all said that May 
Day was one of the most delightful holidays of the year. 

(For illustration see frontispiece.) 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. What month is this ? 

2. What was last month? 

3. What will next month be ? 

4. What is the coldest season of all ? 

5. Which is the hottest month of the year? 

6. Do you like spring better than summer? Why? 


84 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


LESSON 25 


A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A BOY AND HIS ELDEST 
BROTHER 


table (ta'b’l) 
manner (man'ner) 
bowl (bowl) 
style (style) 
tip (tip) 
food (food) 
jam (jam) 
clothes (elothe§) 
polite (po llte') 
impolite (lm'po lite') 
politeness (po lite'ness) 
politely (politely) 

I’m (I’m) 


rudely (rbod'ly) 
quietly (qui' et ly) 
finely (finely) 
between (be tween') 
dialogue (dialogue) 
hungry (liun'gry) 
ready (read'y) 
supper (shp'per) 


bread (bread) 
butter (but'ter) 
meat (meat) 
potatoes (po ta'toes) 
soup (soap) 
pie (pie) 
knife (&nlfe) 
fork (fork) 


delighted (de li^At'ed) spoon (spoon) 


break (break) 
spread (spread) 
dessert (de§ sert') 
erect (e rect') 


course (coarse) 
quite (quite) 

Shanghai (Shang hai') 
American (A mer'i e§n) 


cool (cool) — cooler (cool'er) — coolest (cool'Sst) 
buy (bay) — bought (bat) — 
elder (el'der)— eldest (el'dest) 


At the beginning of this dialogue there is a small table at one side of the 
room, covered with a white cloth, and set for two, with knife, fork, and spoons 
at each place. No. 1 enters the room noisily, leaving the door open. He 
throws his books on the table and his cap on the window sill, as he speaks 
impatiently to his brother. 

1. Ring the bell for the cook quickly. I’m so 
hungry. 

2. What did your father fell you,-, about 

coming to the table so rudely ? Put your cap and books 




ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


85 


away, and then wash your hands and face and brush 
your hair neatly. 

The students should not attempt to read anything except the actual dia¬ 
logue, hut the teacher should see that the stage directions are carried out in a 
spirited manner. 

1. (Obeys rather slowly .) Now, I’m ready. Give me 
something to eat. 

2. You will have to speak politely before you get 
anything. 

1. (Impatiently.) Please give me something to eat. Is 
that polite ? 

2. Your words are polite, but your manner is im¬ 
polite. Try again. 

1. (Politely.) Please tell the cook to bring in our 
supper. I am very hungry. 

2. (Ringing the bell.) I shall be delighted to call him 
now. I am hungry, too. See, I am planning to have our 
supper according to western style to-night. How do you 
like that? 

1. Oh, that will be fun. Did our cook make this bread ? 

2. No, he does not know how to make bread. I 
bought this at the baker’s shop, and some butter, too. 

1. It looks good. What shall we have first ? 

2. Soup. Here comes the cook with it. This is 


86 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

your soup spoon, but you must eat from the side of it. 
See! Eat quietly and don’t take your bowl in your hand, 
or tip it up. Sit erect and draw your chair up near the 
table. That is right. 

1. (Beginning to blow his soup.) This soup is too hot. 

2. You must not blow it or break your bread into 
it. It will soon be cooler. Take only a little in your 
spoon at a time. 

1. We do not eat Chinese food so slowly. Now my 
soup is finished at last. 

2. May I serve you to some meat and potatoes ? 

Yes, thank you. Is that right? 

2. Quite, right. Now take your 
knife in your right hand and your 
fork in your left and cut your meat 
very carefully. 

1. Shall I cut my bread that 

way, too? 

2. Oh, no! Break off a small piece of bread with 
your left hand, and spread a little butter on it with that 
smaller knife, like this. I like a little jam on my bread. 
Do you wish to try some? Don’t spread it too thick. 

1. (Putting his knife into his'mouth.) I like this jam 
much better than butter. 


1 . 







ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


87 


2. Don’t put your knife into your mouth. That will 
never do. 

1. (Putting down his knife .) Western manners are too 
hard for me. I can never learn them. 

2. Oh, yes, you can. They are easily learned. Now 
we' are ready for the last course — the dessert. 

(He rings the bell , and the cook carefully takes away the 
plates and then brings in two small plates , each with a piece 
of pie on it.) 

1. Where is my knife? Oh, the cook took it away. 
Please tell him to bring me another knife to cut my pie. 

2. You don’t need a knife. It 
is not at all polite to cut pie 
with a knife. Just use that other 
fork and you can easily cut it. There, you are doing 
finely. 

1. Where did you learn so much about western 
manners ? 

2. When I was in Shanghai, I had two American 
friends, who often invited me to their home. They taught 
me western table manners, and I taught them Chinese 
table manners. When we learn to speak English, we 
must learn western manners, too. A gentleman thinks 
more of politeness than he does of clothes. 



88 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

WRITTEN WORK 

1. Is it polite to eat meat and potatoes with a spoon ? 

2. Is it polite for a boy to wear his hat in the school¬ 
room ? 

3. Is it polite to ask an older person, “ How old are 
you?” 

Write two sentences telling what it is polite to do. 
Then write two sentences telling what it is impolite to do. 

tAs to dxo 

JJP JPnxdodt tAdnty tno tJvo pridstAZ 


uoa/i^. 


IRREGULAR VERBS USED IN PART I AND PART II 


To-day or 
Every Day 

Just Now 

Yesterday 

I am 

j I am being (be'mg) 

11 was (wa§) 

you are 

{you are being 

1 you were (were) 

he is 

| he is being 

[he was 

I become 

I am becoming 

I became (be -came') 

I begin 

I am beginning 

I began (be gan') 

I blow 

I am blowing 

I blew (blew) 

I break 

I am breaking 

I broke (broke) 

I bring 

I am bringing 

I brought (brat) 

I build 

I am building 

I built (bialt) 

I buy 

I am buying 

I bought (bat) 

I can 


I could (-eou?d) 

I catch 

I am catching 

I caught (caught) 

I come 

I am coming 

I came (-came) 

It costs 

It is costing 

It cost 

I cut 

I am cutting 

I cut 

fl do 

JI am doing 

fl did (did) 

[he does 

[ be is doing 

[he did 

I draw 

I am drawing 

I drew (dro) 

I eat 

I am eating 

I ate (ate) 

I fall 

I am falling 

I fell (felZ) 

I feed 

I am feeding 

I fed (fed) 


89 



90 

ENGLISH FOR CHINESE 

STUDENTS 

To-day or 




Every Day 


Just Now 

Yesterday 

I feel 

I 

am feeling 

I felt (felt) 

I find 

I 

' am finding 

I found (found) 

I fly 

I 

’ am flying 

I flew (flew) 

I forget 

I 

1 am forgetting 

I forgot (for got') 

I get 

I am getting 

I got (got) 

I give 

i 

! am giving 

I gave (gave) 

|I go 

J 

I am going 

fl went (went) 

[he goes 

1 

he is going 

} he went 

[ I have 


I am having 

fl had (had) 

j you have 


1 you are having 

| you had 

the has 


1 he is having 

[he had 

I hang 

I am hanging 

I hung (hung) 

I hear 

I am hearing 

I heard (heard) 

I hold 

I am holding 

I held (held) 

I keep 

I am keeping 

I kept (kept) 

I know 



I knew (&new) 

The hen lays 

The hen is laying 

The hen laid (laid) 

I lay it down 

I am laying it down 

I laid it down 

I let 

I am letting 

I let 

I leave 

I am leaving 

I left (left) 

I lie 

I am lying (ly'ing) 

I lay 

I light 

I am lighting 

I lighted or lit (lk/ 

I make 

I am making 

I made (made) 

I may 



I might (miy/it) 

I mean 


[ am meaning 

I meant (meant) 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


To-day or 

Every Day 

Just Now 

Yesterday 

I must 

I put 

I am putting 

I put 

I read 

I am reading 

I read (read) 

I ride 

I am riding 

I rode (rode) 

I ring 

I am ringing 

I rang (rang) 

I run 

I am running 

I ran (ran) 

I say 

I am saying 

I said (sed) 

I see 

I am seeing 

I saw (sail;) 

I sell 

I am selling 

I sold (sold) 

I shall 


I should (should) 

The sun shines 

The sun is shining 

The sun shone (shone) 

I sing 

I am singing 

I sang (sang) 

I sit 

I am sitting 

I sat (sat) 

I sleep 

I am sleeping 

I slept (slept) 

I speak 

I am speaking 

I spoke (spoke) 

I spend 

I am spending 

I spent (spent) 

I spin 

I am spinning 

I spun (spun) 

I spread 

I am spreading 

I spread (spread) 

I stand 

I am standing 

I stood (stood) 

I steal 

I am stealing 

I stole (stole) 

I strike 

I am striking 

I struck (struck) 

I swim 

I am swimming 

I swam (swam) 

I take 

I am taking 

I took (took) 

I teach 

I am teaching 

I taught ( t&ught ) 

I tell 

I am telling 

I told (told) 

I unwind 

I am unwinding 

I unwound (un wound') 


92 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

To-day or 


Every Day 

Just Now 

Yesterday 

I wake 

I am waking 

I waked or woke (wakt or 



woke) 

I wear 

I am wearing 

I wore (wore) 

I weave 

I am weaving 

I wove (wove) 

I will 


I would (wouZd) 

I wind 

I am winding 

I wound (wound) 

I write 

I am writing 

I wrote (wrote) 

Special 

attention should be 

called to the following 

classes of 

regular verbs which 

make some changes in 

spelling w 

hen adding the suffixes ing or ed. 

Let the pupils see clearly for themselves that when the 
verb contains a single vowel followed by a single conso¬ 
nant, the final e gives the vowel a long sound. 

I bake 

I am baking 

I baked (bakt) 

I close 

I am closing 

I closed (-eloped) 

I guide 

I am guiding 

I guided (giud'ed) 

I invite 

I am inviting 

I invited (invit'ed) 

I like 

I am liking 

I liked (llkt) 

I recite 

I am reciting 

I recited (re Qlt'ed) 

I serve 

I am serving 

I served (served) 

I use 

I am using 

I used (u§ed) 


Show the pupils that a single consonant after a short 
vowel is doubled before adding ing or ed. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


93 


To-day or 

Every Day 

Just Now 

Yesterday 

I plan 

I am planning 

I planned (planed) 

I skip 

I am skipping 

I skipped (skipt) 

I stop 

I am stopping 

I stopped (stopt) 

I tip 

I am tipping 

I tipped (tipt) 

Show that l 

and y are practically the 

same sound, there- 

fore it is reasonable that they should be interchanged. 

I reply 

I am replying 

I replied (re plied') 

I study ) 

I am studying 

I studied (stud'ied) 

I tie 

I am tying 

I tied (tied) 

Itry 

I am trying 

I tried (tried) 

ADJECTIVES IN PART II WHICH ARE MORE 

OR LESS IRREGULAR 

far 

IN COMPARISON 

farther 

farthest 

good 

better 

best 

ill 

worse (wurse) 

worst (wurst) 

little 

less 

least (least) ’ 

many 

more 

most 

much 

more 

most 

well 

better 

best 


Adjectives ending in y change the y to i before adding 
er or est. 


94 

ENGLISH FOR CHINESE 

STUDENTS 

busy 

busier 

busiest 

cloudy 

cloudier 

cloudiest 

early 

earlier 

earliest 

easy 

easier 

easiest 

happy 

happier 

happiest 

hungry 

hungrier 

hungriest 

ready 

readier 

readiest 

Adjectives ending in a single consonant preceded by 

short \ 

owel double the consonant before adding er or est. 

fat 

fatter 

fattest 

flat 

flatter 

flattest 

glad 

gladder 

gladdest 

sad 

sadder 

saddest 

thin 

thinner 

thinnest 

wet 

wetter 

wettest 


NOUNS THAT FORM THEIR PLURALS MORE 

OR LESS 


IRREGULARLY 


One deer 

Two or more deer 


One foot 

Two or more feet 


One man 

Two or more men 


One ox 

Two or more oxen 


One tooth 

Two or more teeth 


One woman 

Two or more women (wim'ei 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


95 


Nouns ending in a sound which does not combine well 
with s, add es to form the plural; es forms a new syllable. 


One box 
One church 
One class 
One dish 
One fish 
One fox 
One watch 


Two or more boxes 
Two or more churches 
Two or more classes 
Two or more dishes 
Two or more fishes or fish 
Two or more foxes 
Two or more watches 


Nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant add es to 
form the plural; es does not form a new syllable. 

One cargo Two or more cargoes 

One motto Two or more mottoes 

One potato Two or more potatoes 


Nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant change the 
y to i before adding es. 


One baby 
One body 
One butterfly 
One city 
One country 
One diary 


Two or more babies 
Two or more bodies 
Two or more butterflies 
Two or more cities 
Two or more countries 
Two or more diaries 


96 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


One family 
One party 
One sky 
One story 


Two or more families 
Two or more parties 
Two or more skies 
Two or more stories 


Nouns ending in / or fe change the /or/e to v and add 
es ; in this case es is not a new syllable. 


One half 
One knife 


Two halves 
Two knives 


THE PRONOUNS IN THEIR VARIOUS FORMS 

(To be illustrated by a game of “Blindman’s Buff.”) 

/catch the boy. 

I put my hand on the boy’s arm. 

The boy sees me. 

You catch the boy. 

You put your hand on the boy’s arm. 
The boy sees you. 

He sees you and me. 

His eyes are open. 

You and I do not see him, 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


97 


We do not see the boy. 

Our eyes are not open. 

He sees us. 

Now you all see the boy. 

Your eyes are open. 

I cannot see you. 

They see the boy. 

Their eyes are open. 

The boy sees them. 

Who is catching me ? 

Whose hand is this ? 

Whom do I feel? 

There is a girl in that window. 
She sees us all. 

Her eyes are bright. 

Do you see her ? 

There is a little bird in the tree. 
It sees us and flies away. 

Its eyes are bright, too. 

Do not catch it. 


PHONOGRAMS 


The following lists of phonograms cover practically all the sounds in 
the English language. Set I includes the phonograms used in Book I, 
Part I, and Set II, those used in Part II. Sets III and IV contain the 
phonograms introduced in Book II, Parts III and IV respectively. The 
symbols used to indicate these sounds are identical with those employed 
in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, and may be found in the two tables 
at the beginning of the Guide to Pronunciation — a chapter which would 
be of great assistance to any teacher preparing to teach these phonograms. 
It is obviously worse than useless for any teacher to attempt to teach 
sounds of which he himself is not perfectly sure. 

In every case the pupil should first learn a new word by hearing it from 
the teacher’s lips, rather than by seeing it written with the diacritical 
marks ; hence the teacher should prepare carefully beforehand by looking 
up any doubtful words in the vocabulary at the back of the book. The 
new words written at the beginning of each lesson are marked only so 
far as the phonograms they contain have become familiar to the pupil. 
All unmarked words must be taught as sight words. 


a as in ha y, name 
a “ “ man, hat 
a “ “ arm, fa'ther 
a “ “ all, waZk, paw 
e “ “ he, eat 
e “ “ h6n, ggg, head 


SET I 

I as in fine, lie 
l “ “ In, fish, hill 
O “ “ go, toe, boat 
O “ “ not, hot 
O “ “ do, to, who 
u “ “ u§e, you 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


99 


u 

as in run, tip 

p as in pen 

7 

it 

a 

eye, my, fly 

r 

a 

a 

rat 

V 

y 

ll 

a 

city 

s 

a 

a 

sit 

ee 

a 

a 

feet, sheet 

s 

a 

a 

is. b °y’§ 

do 

a 

a 

book, foot, good 

t 

. a 

a 

tea 





Y 

a 

a 

give 

b 

it 

a 

boy 

W 

a 

a 

we 

-e 

a 

a 

can 

X 

a 

a 

box 

d 

a 

a 

day 

y 

a 

a 

yet 

f 

a 

a 

fan 

z 

a 

a 

buzz 

g 

{{ 

a 

get 

th 

a 

a 

the, this 

h 

it 

a 

have 

th 

a 

a 

thing 

k 

a 

u 

kite 

sh 

a 

a 

she, ship, dish 

1 

il 

a 

la y 

mg 

a 

a 

wing, fly'Ing 

m 

it 

a 

me 

ch 

a 

a 

much 

n 

a 

u 

now 









SET II 




A 

a 

as in e§,re 

au 

as 

in 

da?/yftt'er, e&ught 

a 

a 

a 

organ 

aw 

a 

u 

paw 

a 

a 

a 

ask, can’t, Amer'ica, away' ew 

a 

a 

new, renew' 

a 

a 

a 

Mon'day 

ea 

a 

a 

seat, read 

a 

a 

a 

what, was 

oa 

a 

a 

boat, coat 

h 

a 

a 

delly/it'ed 

ou 

a 

a 

out 

e 

a 

a 

her, earn 

ow 

a 

a 

now 

6 

a 

a 

or, or'der, ought 

00 

a 

a 

tooth, food 

6 

a 

a 

son, oth'er . 

est 

a 

a 

best, old'est 

0 

a 

a 

wom'an 

ed 

a 

a 

lived, earned 

u 

a 

a 

full, put 

ed 

a 

a 

seat'ed 

ai 

a 

a 

ram, wait 

ed 

a 

a 

liked (llkt), walked 


100 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

bl 

as 

in black 

iy 

as in klnd'ly 

cl 

« 

“ claw 

Sill 

“ “ small 

fl 

(( 

“ flow 

sp 

“ “ speak 

gl 

u 

“ glad 

st 

“ “ stand 

Pi 

a 

“ play 

sw 

“ “ swim 

si 

u 

“ slow 

qu 

“ “ quack 

9 

<( 

“ Qgnt 

wh 

“ “ wh6n 

ck 

a 

“ e5ck 

ight 

“ “ light (lit) 

g 

ll 

“ gentle (jgn't’l) 

* br 

“ “ bright 

j 

u 

“ jam 

tr 

“ “ tree 

n 

« 

“ thank 

wr 

“ “ write 

ng 

« 

“ sang 




* Be careful not to introduce br, tr, wr, or any other combinations of r with 
an initial consonant until the phonograms bl, cl, Jl, gl, pi, and si have been famil¬ 
iar to the students for several weeks, as l and r are often confused. 


SET III 


e as in eight 
i “ “ ide'a 
6 “ “ obey' 
ti “ " unite' 
e “ “ prgs'ent 
br “ “ bring 
cr " “ cry 
dr “ “ draw 
fr “ “ frignd 

(’) “ “ given (giv'’n), often (of'’n), 
I’ll, he’ll, we’ll, to indicate voice glide. 


gr as in grow 
pr “ “ prlQe 
tr “ “ tree 
wr “ “ write 
dg “ “ 6dge 
qu “ “ ebn'qwgr 
■eh “ “ 6'eho 
X “ “ Sxam'ple 
ph “ “ phon'ogram 

little (llt't’l), battle (bat't’l), also 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 101 

SET IV 

e as in there, wh§re wh =hw as in whgn, what 

U “ “ rude ci = sh “ “ an'cient 


u “ “ burn 


si = sh “ 

“ pgn'sion 

oi “ “ oil 


ti = sh “ 

“ nation 

oy “ “ boy 


sci = sh “ 

“ eon'scious 

Qh. = sh as in machine' 

ce = sh “ 

“ o'qean 

1 =e “ “ 

police' 

se = sh “ 

“ naw'seous 

II 

cw 

bird 

11 

rd 

bO 

“ rotlgh, laugh 

*0> 

II 

myr'tle 

SET V 

— Division A. 



Sight Words in 

Part I. Lessons 

1-16 

a 

* girl 

* on 

* two 

any 

has 

one 

very 

* boy 

have 

open 

walk 

brother 

her 

picture 

Wang 

chair 

here 

please 

* write 

* Chinese 

home 

put 

water 

city 

I 

says 

what 

come 

into 

some 

where 

deer 

like 

teacher 

who 

desk 

little 

thank 

window 

does 

milk 

their 

yes 

* English 

* morning 

there 

you 

flower 

Mr. 

they 

your 

* four 

much 

this 


friend 

name 

three 


full 

of 

* too 



* Words thus marked are needed for the written work in the latter half of 
Part I; hence pupils should learn to spell these first. 


102 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


SET Y — Division B. 


Sight Words 

in Part I. Lessons 

17-32 

* afternoon 

finger 

pull 

another 

for 

school 

anything 

from 

sentence 

away 

* good-by 

* seven 

* baby 

hang 

* ship 

bird 

know 

sister 

blackboard 

large 

* son 

both 

lesson 

* study 

bring 

long 

# the 

* build 

mother 

them 

cargo 

* must 

to-day 

catch 

nest 

tongue 

* daughter 

new 

*under 

draw 

notebook 

wash 

* eight 

off 

which 

face 

other 

with 

family 

paper 

*woman 

father 

pencil 

word 


use 


* Words thus marked are needed for the written work in the latter half of 
Part I; hence pupils should learn to spell these first. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


103 


SERIES OF WORDS IN PART I 


a 


day 

bake 

game 

ate 


gave 

baby 

hay 

cake 

name 





lay 

make 






may 

take 






say 







play 

cakes 






stay 



a 




an 

and 

at 

catch 


cap 

hang 

can 

hand 

cat 



map 


fan 

land 

fat 

catches 




man 

sand 

hat 




am 

pan 

stand 

rat 







that 

e 



has 


be 

these 

bee 

feet 

here 



he 


see 

sheet 




we 


three 


deer 



she 


e 




hen 

egg 

get 

bell 

bed 

desk 


men 


let 

tell 




pen 

leg 

net 

well 




ten 


wet 


very 

sentence 


then 




next 

pencil 



104 


ENGLISH FOR 

CHINESE 

STUDENTS 



I 

kite 

I 

fine 

ride 

five 



write 

line 




die 


mine 

riding 



lie 


shine 


like 






time 




i 



ill 


dish ring 

is 

build 

milk 

bill 


fish sing 

his 



fill 


wish wing 


building 


hill 


thing 



ship 

mill 


goldfish 

it 



sill 



sit 

in 


will 


starfish 



six 

still 



give 

into 





live 


window 






this 




6 




Oh 

nose 

row 

old 

notebook 



close 

know 

cold 



go 

those 


gold 



no 



hold 

open 


so 

door 


holds 




floor 



home 


toe 






toes 






105 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


6 

hot ox on 

not box 

pot 

flower-pot 

u 



use 


you 


using 

u 

your 

up 

fun 

but 

much 

cup 

run 




sun 

buzz 

must 


off 


* 


long 


study 


are 


by 

my 

fly 

try 


TfBq 


H* 

iiH 

ite, 

m 


a 

cargo arm large father 


far cart 

star 


starfish 

* In Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Guide to Pronunciation, § 115, the sound 
o in these words is given as a sound somewhere between a and o, or 5. 




ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


106 


ear 

eat 

sea 

fear 

meat 

tea 

hear 

neat 


near 

seat 


year 




do too 

to 

two 

who 


all 

paw 

ball 

claw 

call 

draw 

fall 


tall 


small 



ea = e 

weak read please 

speak 

reading 


o=oo 

room school 


oa = 6 

boat 

coat 

goat 

a = aw 

walk daughter 


ea = e 

bread 

read 


book 

hook 

look 


66 

good 



foot 


good-by 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


107 


ow = ou 


cow 

our 

how 


now 

out 

down 




MISCELLANEOUS 

SIMILARITIES 

OF SOUND 


any 

other 

there 

full 

come 

many 

mother 

another 

where 

pull 

some 


For sight words in Part I, see Set V, Divisions A and B, in the Sets of Phono¬ 
grams, pages 101 and 102. There is no separate list of sight words for Part 
II, but these may be found from the vocabulary by taking all the words 
not marked with an asterisk, which are not included in any of the series of 
words given under Part II. 

SERIES OF WORDS IN PART II 
a 

ate came made sale 

late tame 

mane 

clay 


lake 

wake 

bake 

baker 


wave 


as 


glad 


108 

ENGLISH FOR 

CHINESE 

STUDENTS 





e 



best 

ever 

better 

fell 

end 

yellow 

rest 

clever 

letter 

sell 

mend 


west 

never 


well 

send 






spend 


guest 


cent • 






went 

felt 

friend 


find 

ride 

invite 

i 

wise 

hire 

mine 

kind 

side 

quite 




mind 

wide 

white 




wind 






unwind 

guide 








6 



bone 

old 

only 

whole 

hoe 

close 

shone 

gold 





stone 

hold 


wrote 




told 






ou 

our 

flour 

hour 


ck 


black 

cluck 

block 

pick 

quack 

duck 

cock 

tick 



clock 

quick 


duckling 

o’clock 

thick 



rock 

chick 



tock 

chicken 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


flaw 


fl 


flat 


ai = a 

rain paint wait sail braid 

train 

plain 


plainly 


deep 

keep 

peep 

sleep 


a 


flaw 

saw 



lawn 


caught 

taught 


ee = e 



feed 

feel 

keen 

seem 

need 

wheel 



seed 




weed 


week 

street 


indeed 


boat 

coat 

float 

goat 


cut 

nut 


u 

just 

must 


number 


sky 

try 

why 


109 


110 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


6 



shop 


box 


from 


stop 


fox 




top 





dark 

cart 


a 

farm 

sharp 

hard 

park 

part 






start 


farmer 

carpenter 

march 


party 


garden 


farther 




gardener 






ow = 6 

blow 

flow 

show 

slow 






db 





cook 


stood 




took 

ea = e 

wood 


cheap 

leave 

repeat speak 

clear 

season 

leap 

weave 


weak 

dear 


reap 


neatly 


teach 


weaver 


easy 

nearly 


meal 


read 




steal 

clean 


easier 




mean 

reader 






easily 




ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


111 


cool 

tool 

foolish 


high 


hang 

rang 

sang 


dead 

head 

read 


igh = I 

light 

might 

night 

right 

sight 

bright 


delighted 

ng 

hung 


king 

ea = e 

bread 

spread 

thread 




ready 

00 



loom 

soon 

food 

poor 

smooth 

room 

spoon 





a 

fast 

last 

past 

ou 

pound 

round 

around 

wound 

unwound 


112 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


i 

ship 

skip 

tip 


ear = er 


earn 


early 

earth 

learn 


6 


Monday 

none 

some 

front 


one 



money 

nothing 

something 


month 


sometimes 



er 

serve term 


son 


ou = a 

bought 

brought 


ew = u 

blew 

few 

flew 

knew 


S 

face piece city cept 

place 


heard 


second 


rice 


ENGLISH CHINESE VOCABULARY 





Translated into Easy Wenli by Mr. Wang Kan Ho, B.S. 

The best guide to pronunciation for this vocabulary is to be found in the phonograms 
themselves. These phonograms are not an artificial method of securing correct pronunciation 
merely at the beginning of the study of English ; but,*based, as they are, on an international 
dictionary, they will enable a student to learn at the very outset how to use the dictionary, 
and will help him to acquire that valuable asset to a liberal education — the ‘‘ dictionary habit. ’’ 
The diacritical markings follow those used in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, except 
that, instead of respelling words to indicate the pronunciation, it has been thought best to 
make use of the second table of symbols given in the Guide to Pronunciation of that dictionary. 
The silent letter in a digraph and also silent e at the end of a word or in ed of the past tense 
and past participle are, however, marked out in order to simplify matters for the beginner. 
Occasionally respelling has been found necessary, but it has been avoided as much as possible, 
lest it should confuse a pupil just learning to spell. 


a - s ain 

aboutjgg]. IStS. a S° isfjfll 

ab sent 
ac cording 
aft er 


aft er noon 


all ItL — 


a lone 


al ways ^ 

am M, 

113 





114 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

A mer ic a fHIU B 

A mer i can 111116*1, USA* ba b y H52 

an-(TOT4 : 'i;«^) back Ho m, fait. 0 


and Me 

an i mal gR, 

an oth er J§I]—* 
an swer jm§rj§$o 

a ny 

a ny thing 

Aprili|Jg(jgfl 

are % (tkft&&9LhM) 

arm ^ 
a round JUJU 

as #Po 0. 

ask 

at# 

ate 

Au gust gyg AU 
au tumn ^ 


bake j&fjf. 

bak er jgtffA 
ball Jfc 
be ^ 

beau ti ful 
be cause 
be come 
bed ^ 
bee H?4fb 
be fore #fi 0 
be gan 
be gin JE$I 
bell g®, $&• 

best jfcfff 

bet ter®$J 

be tween gfgj. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


115 


bird Mj, 

bread 

black H 

break 

Black (&) (&) 

bright dtii, ||Pj§. 

black board 

bring 

blew^ 0 

broth er 

blis ter 

brought 

blocks, **&.*»£- 

brush Ulj^ # || o Jgl| o 

blow |1^ 0 pnft 0 

build HJg. gjg. 

blue 

bus y fto &5E. 

boat /]'f$ 

bus i ly 

boat man|g'f- 

but t&o !lj» 

body Hfjf 

but ter 4-fL'® 

bone ^ 

but ter fly^ 

book ^ 

buyM 

both 

buzz 

bought J| 

by 5E. ft, ^• 

bowl ^ 

by and by ;d?fcj| 


116 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


call Bf 0 gilfc. 
call on |J||g 0 |S^ 0 
caH forg # ^ 

came ($£tl) 
can itt, fit, 

can’t ifCfg 
care tgjfr. gg. 

ca P ^J'W 
care for 

take care of 
care ful ggg 
care ful ly f|{j(£|g 
car go 

car pen teryjcg 

cart ¥. 
cat Jjgf 

catch tS 0 

caught $% o J£ o 
cent f|I| 


chair tf o llo 
chea P MU. MIS. 

chick |||| o ,j-H, 
chick en $g|jf| 

Chi na tfa^ 

Chi nese tfjgJ$j # ^@A 0 

church ^ 

cit y iftfir. 

class ^jg£ 0 ijtfg, 

claw A. je;r 0 

cla y UE± 

clean $gg* Hfft. «}&&. 

clear |f 0 ^ 

dev er (glJJ. HI5 0 $jr^ o 

climb 

clock 

dose 

dose jjf 0 %$r 0 
close 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


117 


clothes 
cloud ® 

cloud y ftlit* 

duck 

coat T^o 

cock 

cold igsfr. « 

to have a coldJH^ 
to take cold 
col or Hg^ 
come ||J 0 
con test^g 

cook M* if I 

cool 




} J« rfrt* 


^liWi 


course £§|£. illTliJ?. 

^uu* 

of course Q fji 
cow 
cup 

cut S'io ft. 

D 

“dark Hg$. 

daugh ter 
day Q 
dead 
dear j| 


cost fjgfg. jt#l 0 
cot tonft|$ 0 |/j|7fjj 0 
could 

count ff-^ # #. 
coun try |g 0 


.• lit* rm 
De cem ber |J| 

deep ^ 8 

deer %tM 

de light ed f|fc3fj 
de light ful §fc||j|£|| 
desk fjffcji, 
des sert 


118 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


aialogueffi^tm. 

di a r y B Eo Silo each ^ 

did M^earjf. 

die 5E. £. 

di&li.M. 

din ner Hjg. 

dish AS. HL 


do ft. mft 

mt&zm 

this will do p]\^| 
this will not do ^pj 


\m% 

ear ly fa fa 
earn 
earth 

eas * er ^M 

eas i ly 


eas y 

eat £. I tm 
egg |P # g. 

eight 

<«»% ifr h, «„ +A 

eighth 


dol lar 
don't r 
door p*J 
down “fT 
draw fj o | 
duck |j| 
duck ling if 


eight yy\+ 
el der 

el dest ^Hg. 
e lev en —* 

e lev enth • 

else #Jo ^0 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


end 


yc- 


Eng lish 
e rect 

es sa y 

even 

ev er #T. H*. 

ev er y ^ 
ex cept 

F 

face g 

fall m. 8ko 

fam i ly: 
fan H, 
far^ 
farm J|| 
farm er 


m Q 


far ther jgjlt 
fast 

fat 


fa ther 

f^r « 0 ^ 

Feb ru a ry 

feed #. in. 
feel j&«. 


feet 

fell g. (j©;fep]) 

feit^* msm) 

few 

fif teen -f 
fif teenth 

fifth HH. 

fif ti eth 

fif ty 3 l+ 

fill« 

find 

find out 

fi ne lilt. fifllfl. 
fine ly fiH 0 fnil, 

fin ger -f-Jg 


119 


120 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


fin ish 

fish !l,%0 

five 

flan nel 

flash r/3^o 

flat ^ o ^0 o 

m%. «. 

flesh 

flew^ (-^^^1) 
float ^.y 2, 
flock ^ 
floor 

flour||U 

fl° w M 

flow er^g 

fly Si, Mo 

food |f f: o 
fool ish jg, 

foot £.fll. %R. 


f or ® 0 ft. 

for eign J§^H| (^) 
for get g{£ 
fork 

for ti eth Jf§E + 
for ty [Jt] -p 
four [JUJ 

four teen -p|Jl| 
four teenth Sg+0 
fourth ^^9 

fox 501 

Fri day JtKifrB 

friend 

from 

front m a mm. 

fun ftffio ^ir. 
fun MB. 
fur IMo 

G 

game jgffc, 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE' STUDENTS 


121 


gar den ^gJ o goods 

gar den er gj^ got ft, . (M£M) 

g ave lo £ M) guest gig 

gay ly guide $ | 


gen tie 
gen tie man 

gen tie men gmxA 

get *#. !i. 
g' rl AM, 
g ive Ifr. g 0 

give up j£|g. 

g!ad 

globe J^ o 

go 'fro ±. 

goes £ (fiii±) 
goat 

gold ^ 

gold fish ^fi, ^fi, 
go° d #o &o Mo 
good-by (IfMJBIS) 


H 

had ^ 
hair 

half —^ 

ham mer |g o $$. $HJ* 0 
hand ^ 

han g }#. 51, 

pHi 

hap pyffc|J 0 
hap pi er jgffcH 

hard m 0 Mm. an. 

has £ (ftli^) 

hat <M. 

have 

hay 

he %. fro (lit J§) 

head H.-i-, 


122 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


hear ft Jgff 

hook jt£j@i^0i£fod£lllo 

heard PBol8^o(S±^) 

hope ^-|g 

held^.ii.^^.It 0 (^^p) hot ffo 0 U 0 

help fyl 

hour /J'Sf®— 

help ful 

house Jfg 

hen 

how jnMoiUMoISM© 

her ft(}ElicA&fj)I§#:A#J hundred 'g 

here jfcfig 

hun dredtli fj|— 

hers 

hung #©JKo(M£fSi) 

herself fticASS 

hun gry ffl, 

high |h; 

hunt fjg 

hill 

I 

him ftJj 

I 

himself fifeg2 

ni 

hire 

ill 

his -fte#J 

I’ m 

hoe MlMo 

Im po life t&lfeffllfo 

hold $5f 0 JIo»et?o 

im po lite ly 

holiday W)BoMUU & 

in 

home ^]gg 

in deed 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


123 


in to 

in vitejg o H| o 

* Jft cm&jg) 
it nmm) 
its ^ ya&b 

it self 

J 

jam ^§| 

Jan u a ry ||§jg —ft 

J u J y IHM-tn 

June lijgAJ! 
just j£^* SIE. 

K 

keen f |J. gfc. 
keep || 

keep er o 

kept^^.im (jiiP) 

kill m 0 

kind fclg. 




kin der gar ten 

kind ly'img^jg 
KingJ, ^S 0 
King S(jft) 
kitch enJgJJH 

kite ,fc^ 

kit ten 52, 

knew um. gs^^d 

know |gff e ^[101, 
know how 2n*nffl 
knife /J'7] 

L 

lake $) 
lamp fj| 
land 

large A 

last m Bfc. 

at last gljjg 
late jg 

lawn WWoWm, 


124 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


lay Wik o 

lay. 

lay 110V. 
leap SI* 
leap year 
learn ^pr^f 
leave $f§ 0 %\] Q 

left £. H. J&'J. G©£fSl) 

left £ 

leg M 

les son 

let mm. 

let ter 5£{|J: 0 Uff| 0 

Hem. Jg.fiSto 

Hght ft, i^o m. m. 

light house 

Hke 

like 1H 0 % D. 
line jg| a m. 
lion 


Ust sn 0 

Ht tie /J^ 
little by little 
a little 

live £f£ 0 Jgft, 
liv ing £fj- 
l° n 'g ^s. 
look’ll. 

l° om 

M 

made ft. ©. Giffcil) 

make 

man A. A®. 

mane |||^ 

man ner 0 f*0IJ a 

ma ny ^ 

map J§[U 

march 

March HJgHB 
may 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


125 


Ma >' HJSIl/J 

May pole JJtFFjgj 

me 
meal 
mean M 


isJ o /Jp 


$C„ -$j 


meat 


mem ber 

men £KWc 

mend Jgfjg, 
mid die tja |gj 0 

might fl^o 

^ilk ?L 0 X?L 

mill ®L T JM 
mill er 0^. 
mill stone 

mind Jl„ ©H. XMo 4Kto 
never mind 
mine 

min ute ^Ijb 
miss 31 c. £wS&. 


Miss ■k± 
mis take 

Mon day MM —* 
mon ey 

month n.mnzn) 

more 

morn ing JJ 
most 

moth er n 

mot t0 MH.I&s. 

Mr. (mis ter) 3tx (M 
much ^ 
muscle 


mu sic ^ 

must 

my 


N 


name . 

nar row 
near 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


126 


near ly 


neat 


aElyR# 

neat ly 
neck gg 

need MMo 
nest 

net m* %mm* w 

nev er [p 


mo 


newff 

next ^C 0 0“ o 
night ^ 
nine Ji 

nine teen +A 
nine teenth m-tA 
nine ti eth 8A.+ 
nine ty 
ninth 
no t§. 
none f}$ 
nose M 


not 

note book f£3p£H # ] 
noth ing 

No vem ber I1JS+ 
now 

num ber fftg 0 Wi^ 

mu 

nut 

O 




o’clock gj 
Oc to ber 



of MM 

o ff 

of ten || # 
oil $ 


old^. ®. 

on #yt± 

one —jg] 
on ly Jp. # fj§ # 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


127 


open jij. 

or l£o 1^. 
or der H^* 0 

or gan HP. ,E# 
oth er J§l] c Silllo 
our 

out ffi. 

O ver Z ±» 

own SEi^J. &Mo 

OX -4 1 

p 

page fiz-l 
paint $8. 

pan^fiS 
pa per $£ 

par ent CsusW 

park ^ipfj 
part — #•. 
par ty ?£. H'M. 

past jt£. Eii. Mii. 


paw 

peep mMM. M» 

pen 

pen cil 

peo pie AS 
per haps mm 
per son k 


Imo 


P et Ao mtto. 

picnic 

Pick 1$. ijilj. ££. jjf. $». 

pick at igj; 

Pick out ^ 
pick up ^a.|E 
pic ture [g # 

P ie (#&>&) 

Piece 4L >1*. “/H. — 
place arfr. M 0 

plain PJ 

plain ly PfJgM, 

Plan fin. UMo @41. 


cull 


128 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


plant Hlfl* iJc 0 ^7^1, 

play Mik 'M$Xo q uack HQ 


play day M5c0* Bjfc 

\uu 

play mate 

play thing JtcMt 

please 

plen ty H& 0 
pole t£, 

po lite «(M % ^ jit®* 
politely £f |ZM 
po lite ness iu ^ If. 

poor ffc 0 

pot $f. a , 

po ta to 

pound |g£ 0 |T ft #. gj 0 
pound 

P ul1 tfeo feo tit, 
put $jC 0 f£. 


Q 

quar ter o — fftft 

ques tion|{i]fli] 0 gM, 
quick @1. 
quickly 
quiet ^ff 
qui et ly ££££. 
quite i'^ 0 

R 

rai n M, T ®. 
ran Jfc. 
rang 

rat 

read tffio If» 
read tffi 3 IS, (liilfll) 

reader M#. 
read ingfg^. gf&. 
ready 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


129 


re al 

reap XlJ. fg. 

re cite 

red H. 3c 0 

relative 
re peat 
re ply^0 

rest Hill f. 
rest ffc-lto 

rest ful 2p|f. 

re view 
rhyme |J§| 
rib bon 

rice *o IK. 
ride ,Ho 16. 
ldd ing g$. 

right ^i§ # 

ring 3g 0 i^ a 

rE +t2 rM 

ripe jfcWi 


riv er ft. Mo 
rock 

ro d e,H.^ 0 G§iPI) 

room ^{h] 0 
round H^ 0 3tt| 0 
row #|- 0 

rude ly jglf££S| 
run 

S 

sad gg^ 
said g # 15£ 0 

sail S£©o Wo 
sail boat |fL|^ 
sail or 7 X^- 0 
sale "fUf 
sand 

sang BgfC.(iiifefnl) 
|) sat j^icfpj) 

Sat ur day Jji A Q 
saw )l!g,g,(ilAlS) 


130 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


says iioUoiSo ( fill aft) 
school 


sea 


sea 

seat ^{iJ£ 0 1££4rF 0 

sec ond ^r 0 ^C 0 —#M* 


see |g 0 g 0 Jjl. 

seed 

seem fl3l 
sell ]t^ 

sen tence X^J 
Sep tem ber 
serve 

sev en ^ flSJ 
sev en teen 
sev en teenth 
sev enth 
seventieth 
sev en ty-bf 


shaii 

f 

<C ^uz> 

Shang hai J-#J 
share 

dt 

shar p M*M a 
she fill. Guic#a) 

sheet 

shine 7 mt 0 

ship 

shone MoG&±P]) 
shop j£. fj|* 

shop keeper 

shorty T'Wo Mo 

show 

side Mo ?jMo 
sight jjjOo Jill, 
sill 
sing 

sir 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


131 


sis ter MU 

sit ^ 
six 

six teen | 
six teenth 
sixth 
six ti eth 
six ty y^-j- 
skill 

skill ful $J}gl. J5, 

skin j£jf 

skip 

sky 

sleep 0j£ o H. 

slept f]J£ # si. (mm) 

slow ly 

sly $£ffl 

small /Jn q |0 o 
smooth ^it 


so £niifc 9 Hit. 

soft |^ 0 
some |||tp o 

some thing M« M. 
some times^^p 
son ft 
song 
soon 


S0ll P So 

speak if.il;. 
spend 




spin 

spin nmg 
spoke |^ o mzm) 
spoon &M9L 
spread 
spring 
stand jjr 
star ^ 
star fish 


132 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


start 

sta y f±Uc 

steal ft. 

stin ifibo fltifo fp? 0 

stone S 

stone cut ter Igpg^ 

stood 

stop 

sto ry /J'ifc, 

street 

strike || 0 flT o n§ # 
stripe $£jf£ 
strip 

strong Jttfl. Ji. 

struck^. If. 
stu dent # 

stud y 

style ^fl, R^H, 
such M 
sum mer Jjf 


st,n jk® 

Sun day j||g Q 
sun shine B3fc 
sup per f$Jj| 
swim 

swim ming 

T 

ta ble|$ o |jf, 
take 
tall im 
tame I)HM 

taught 

tea^ 3 

teach 

teach er|£j| 
teeth 

t^l il.fg. 

ten --p 
tenth 

term 99®. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


then Mo Mo 

thank ^f|J 

thank ful 

that (K%m) 

0f ^APJtfc••••HP 

the jtto a, ,be ^ ® ii m 

the 

their 

them M3 

then^I$. Hilt# 

there 

there’s^ 

these jl^|| 0 jlfc^. 

they 

thick Jf c 
thin ffg. #. $U 
thing m* 
third 

thir teen +H 
thir teenth H+H 


thir ti eth ^ — -p 
thir ty ~-f- 
this ]ltf| 
those 
thread H 
three ^ 

Thurs day 

t^k fisms ammz 

tie if. trig. 

ti gerj* 

till 

time 

tip Oc« fei. 

tip f®. It, 

tired $£f£ 

t0 Ihlo <$., M. 

tock fjgniig (&uMMZ 

to day ^ Q 
toe ££ 

to geth er fjf 0 p]. 


134 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


told 

to -mor row mu 

tongue ^ 

to -night 

too 7ff % j®. ± 0 

took Jft, Gt£^) 

tool 

tooth gjJf 

top ptiio Tl. M. 

tow er Jf o o 

train §]||^, —jdj 
try 

Tues day J||gZl 0 
twelfth Jj§-f^Zl 
twelve -pTl 
twen ti eth 
twen ty ^ “+ 
twent y-eight r+A 
twen ty-first —* 

twenty-five Z2~f^3L 


twen ty-four z-um 
twen ty-nine H+A 
twen ty-one ZL ~\~—* 
twenty-seven Z1~Y^ 
twen ty-six H+A 
twen ty-three ~ 
twen ty-two 21 “hH 
t wo 21 

U 

un cle 

tin der ;jgr~fT 
tin wind 
un wound jj£.fg 

«P &J: 

«s ^ 

use -gf 

use ful ^ 4 

V 

very ^ 



ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


135 


w 

wait 
wake j§!| 

walk iTo 
Wang 

want MI?* 

was Jb 

wash 

watch ra iSo 'Ha £ 

tn 

watch ||i 

watch es (ftfeffiiSl) 

wa ter 7K0 

wave 

« 

wayjg. ^f }£<> 

we oifto 

weak jH 0 



weave ^ 0 H 0 

weav er^^JJXo S^il. 

— 

weav ing 

Wed nes day jjg^H. JLSIH 

H. 

week —1|^ # —M.Kc 
well ^ 

well ^: 0 

went ft 9 Q, (ii£|5l) 

wer e & (M£|pI) 

west jftj 

west ern ffi^o fa®. 

wet ?i, 

what #nM. fa#, 
wheel |^ o H|| # 
when jojlt. gf$. 
where ;£g$| 0 

which $$f| 0 ^pJ^ o 
whisk ers 5f$i. f| 0 


136 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


white |L] ^ 

who {bJAo It. 
whole || 0 
why fpjgfc 

wide ]g. HA. 

wild ia ^filTA 

wm m a m. (mm^z 
tmm^zm 

wind J|L 
wind }§ 0 fg # 
win dow £ 2 ? 


wing g| 
win ter 
wise 
wish $; o gf, 
with dh a 
worn an 
wood A. 

word B. if. 


work Iff. §£lt. 

world 

wound f|J 0 

write |g # if ft, 

wrote |=J 0 ^fft, (mzm) 

Y 

year 

yel low jijfa, 

N es Bo M* 

yes ter dayRf Q # jt50. 

you Wo $C. 
young #}. '\? a 

y° ur WZo M ft#i. 

yours Mi^Z^Jo 


SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 


I. Thinking and Speaking in English 
II. The Beginnings of English in a Chinese Class 

III. Hints for Teaching — Part I and Part II 

IV. The Two-fold Use of Written Work 

V. Notes on Written Work — Part I and Part II 

VI. Spelling and Dictation 

VII. Story-telling 

VIII. Suggested Memory Gems 

IX. Supplementary Reading 




























































































• • 









































































* - 






















































































































































































THINKING AND SPEAKING IN ENGLISH 


Every one of us learned to speak his mother tongue and to associate 
a given word with a given object long before he had any idea that certain 
written or printed symbols represented certain words. Is it not reasonable 
to expect that, in learning another language, the mind would most naturally 
follow this same order of presentation? It ought not to be necessary, then, 
to plead that, before this book is put into the hands of a pupil, he should have 
at least seven or eight weeks of simple, natural English conversation, in 
which to learn the names of the most common things of his everyday experi¬ 
ence and also how to express his own thought about these things. 

One of the essentials in the English course of any school in China is to teach 
the pupil to think in English, How can this be done if he begins his study 
of English by learning the alphabet, or even if he begins by learning phono¬ 
grams, which are but written representations of sound and have no thought 
associated with them? Surely it seems more natural to teach first a word 
which suggests a thought and then show that this word is made up of certain 
sounds like those in other words. Even when this order is followed, care 
must be taken to avoid the error of making the study of a language a mere 
putting together of sounds like a picture puzzle. Exercises in conversation 
should always precede the introduction of the phonograms, and throughout 
the course fully as much time should be given to conversation as is devoted 

to phonetics and reading taken together. 

The old-fashioned plan of teaching translation, either oral or written, from 
the very beginning, really prevented the pupil from acquiring a ready use 
of the language. Sometimes a teacher finds that a pupil, instead of under¬ 
standing and answering a question directly, is first mentally translating the 
question into Chinese, then thinking out the answer m Chinese, and trans¬ 
lating it aloud into English. This involves four mental processes instead 
of two, and is evidence of a lack of efficient method in teaching. Accord¬ 
ing to the modern principles followed in teaching a spoken language, there 

139 


140 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


should be no translation whatever at first, say not until after the first two 
years, when the habit of thinking in the newly acquired language has already 
been formed. It is sometimes to the advantage of a beginning class if the 
teacher does not understand Chinese, as there is always a temptation to 
explain the meaning of a word or a sentence in the native dialect, instead 
of taking the trouble to interpret it through the pupil’s own powers of per¬ 
ception. If, however, the native teacher or the westerner who speaks the 
dialect is careful to do this, he should be a much more efficient teacher than 
the non-Chinese-speaking teacher, as he has the advantage of sharing to 
some extent the pupil’s point of view. Nouns may be represented by objects 
or pictures; verbs and many adverbs, by means of action; adjectives, through 
the different senses; and prepositions, through position. Pronouns, con¬ 
junctions, or difficult words and constructions may sometimes have to be 
explained in Chinese; but this should be done as a last resort. If the teacher 
fears that his best attempts to interpret a word by sign language may not 
have been understood by the duller half of the class, it is a good plan to call 
on one of the brighter pupils to give the explanation in Chinese ; but this should 
be an occasional rather than a general practice. 

At first sight it may seem that only a very small part of this book is devoted 
to exercises in conversation. Let it be remembered, however, that every 
reading lesson is to be prepared for by a conversation lesson using the same 
vocabulary and practically the same constructions; also, that the written 
work is intended partly as a test of the teacher’s previous work in conversa¬ 
tion. See “ The Two-fold Use of Written Work,” page 166. For every 
sentence given under the head of written work there should have been at 
least ten oral sentences given in the daily practice in conversation. The 
teacher should keep a notebook in which to write before coming to class a 
number of suggestive questions, bringing in as many as possible of the words, 
idioms, and constructions already learned. As the work progresses, he should 
try to keep the questions he asks from being like those in the book. He 
should introduce the new words in a different order and in different sentences, 
so that the reading lessons will not lose their freshness. 

Several of the reading lessons are in the form of dialogues. These are. 
intended to develop a conversational manner and tone in reading and also 
to furnish suggestions for exercises in conversation. As suggested in “ Hints 


* ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


141 


for Teaching,” p. 155, it is a good plan to let the class choose the pupils who 
read the dialogue in the most spirited manner, and then let those pupils 
plan together to give this dialogue in dramatic form on the following day, 
or on Friday afternoon. They should be allowed to have cake and tea, or 
whatever may be needed to give the dialogue its proper setting. 

In a conversation lesson there is a tendency for the teacher to ask all the 
questions and the pupils to answer them all, so that often a pupil has very 
little chance to learn how to ask a question. The games and other sugges¬ 
tions in “ Hints for Teaching ” are given partly in the hope of developing 
initiative on the part of pupils. To this end many other devices will doubt¬ 
less suggest themselves to the mind of the teacher. 

One of the great difficulties in the teaching of conversation is that the 
average pupil does not know how to prepare his lesson, and the average 
teacher does not know how to teach him to prepare, except by a sort of ques¬ 
tion and answer method which the pupil is apt to learn by rote. It is hoped 
that the combination of reading and composition with conversation will 
obviate this difficulty, as the work in one department will directly help each 
of the other two. Let the assigned lesson be short but very definite and tan¬ 
gible, making use of a form of sentence just explained in class, so that it can 
be strictly required of every pupil. For instance, instead of saying vaguely, 
“ Be ready to answer any question on page —,” say, “ To-morrow you must 
be ready to tell three things that you can see in the room, three things that 
you can see in one of the pictures in this book (or on the wall), and three things 
that you can see out of the window.” By constant repetition of certain forms 
with variation in the vocabulary, the dullest pupil will learn to express 
himself correctly, even though he knows nothing of grammar. Grammar , 
as such, should not he taught until the beginning of the third year of English. 
Before that time, the teacher should avoid the use of grammatical terms, 
not teaching even the parts of speech or the tenses by their names. 

In this little book an effort has been made to observe the principles of 
the law of review. 

It has been demonstrated by careful experiments in pedagogy that after 
a lesson has once been thoroughly learned, three days is the longest interval 
that should be allowed to pass before a review of that lesson; that if the lesson 
is reviewed on the day after it has been taught, the results at the end of the 


142 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


term’s work are no better than when there has been an interval of three days 
before the first review. Of course, there is always room for a difference of 
opinion as to when a lesson has been thoroughly learned; but it seems reason¬ 
able to insist that at least two thirds of the pupils in a class should show that 
they grasp the essential points in a lesson before the next lesson is introduced. 
It may sometimes be necessary to spend two or three days on one lesson, 
or even a week, in special cases. The teacher should not scold the pupils 
for failure or tire them out by a repetition of the same lesson taught in the 
same way, but should see how skillful he can be in presenting in as many 
new ways as possible the idioms and words to be learned. Some of the 
games suggested will be a help in this. 

The review to be given on the third day after a lesson has been mastered 
should not be announced beforehand; it is better that the pupils should hardly 
be conscious of the fact that they are having a review. The regular advance 
lesson should have been assigned,., though perhaps a little shorter than usual. 
Before the recitation of this advance lesson, the teacher should ask a number 
of questions, the answers to which involve the use of all the principal words 
and forms in the lesson to be reviewed. Care should be taken, however, 
to present the review in an altogether different way from that in which the 
lesson was taught. It should be remembered that any review is a test of 
the teacher’s ability to teach , even more than it is a test of the pupils’ ability to 
learn. 

As yet there have not been experiments enough in the science of teaching 
to determine the exact length of time that should intervene between the first 
and the second reviews, though many teachers think it should not be more than 
seven days. This second review may be announced, as it is rather more 
formal than the first. It may sometimes be a test somewhat like a spelling 
match. The teacher holds up one object after another, and each pupil in 
turn gives the English name for the object or uses that name in a sentence. 
Time may be saved by combining the first review of one lesson with the 
re-review of a much earlier lesson. 

If more than half of the class fail in the reviews, it is the teacher who fails, 
not the students. The only thing to do is to go over the lesson patiently in as 
many new ways as possible, trying to find out from the pupils just where the 
difficulty lies. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


143 


Whenever there are two or more sounds, words, or grammatical forms 
liable to be confused, care should be taken to teach one thoroughly and then 
allow time enough for it to become a familiar part of the pupil’s thought, 
before introducing another similar form or sound. When both have been 
thoroughly learned, the attention of the pupils should be called to the points 
of similarity and the difference between the two. 

For example, in the early lessons in Part II, the phonograms bl, cl, fl, gl, 
and pi are introduced. As many Chinese students find it very difficult to 
distinguish between the sounds of these phonograms and the sounds of the 
corresponding phonograms hr, cr, fr, gr, and pr, it is thought best not to 
introduce this second set of phonograms until considerably later in the course. 
An exception is made in the case of the familiar word “ bring,” an almost 
indispensable part of the student’s early vocabulary. This is taught in 
Part I as a sight word and is not separated into the phonetic elements of 
which it is composed. 

The past tense of the most familiar irregular verbs is taught before the 
introduction of the past tense formed by adding ed, so that the pupil will 
not be tempted to form the past tense of irregular verbs in this way. 

The following are a few other examples of cases where confusion needs to 
be carefully avoided: 

(а) The words “ to,” “ too,” “ two.” 

(б) “ Like ” as a verb and as an adjective. 

(c) The comparative and the superlative degree of adjectives. 

(i d ) Adjectives, and adverbs formed from them, as “ slow,” “ slowly.” 

( e ) Interrogative pronouns and adverbs, and the same words used as 
relative pronouns and conjunctive adverbs. 

(f) The different cases of the personal pronouns. 

( g ) The various tenses of verbs, especially the distinction between the 
past and perfect tenses. Each tense should be drilled upon for several weeks 
before another tense is introduced. 

In the preparation of a book so condensed as this, much of the reviewing 
must be left for the teacher to work out for himself, especially as it is im¬ 
possible to make allowance for vacations and the regular week-end holidays. 
In Part I an attempt has been made to review, as far as possible, each vocabu¬ 
lary and each grammatical construction, after an interval of three lessons; 


144 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


but the re-review has been left to the individual teacher. In Part I the 
written work is used to reenforce the lesson it accompanies. In Part II, 
however, the written work is usually made the means of reviewing the read¬ 
ing lesson which precedes it by three days. At least once or twice a month 
the teacher should take an inventory of the vocabulary and constructions 
which have been taught and should test the class thoroughly to make sure 
that they have become a living part of each pupil’s thought and speech. 
An interesting review of the vocabulary may be conducted somewhat like a 
spelling match ora" spell down.” The teacher gives out the word in English, 
and the pupil responds with an English sentence containing that word. 

Many conversation classes are so large that it is difficult to keep up the 
interest. In order to obtain the best results, a class ought not to contain 
more than fifteen or twenty pupils; but if the class is much larger than this, 
it may be taught quite effectively by being divided into two sections, so that 
one section can be doing the written work while the other section is having 
a drill in conversation. Twenty minutes of conversation for each section 
will give far better results than forty minutes spent in the attempt to sustain 
the interest of a large class. 

The average pupil of thirteen or fourteen is not able to concentrate his 
attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Hence, the program must 
be constantly varied. Do not allow the class to drag; as soon as attention 
begins to lag, introduce action of some kind. At least once or twice during 
the day all the windows should be opened, and the whole class should have 
a few minutes of physical exercise. Do not be afraid of introducing something 
startling into the conversation now and then, or of letting the class have a 
good laugh. Make the most of every little incident that happens in the 
classroom or within sight of door or windows. As the class advances, talk 
about current events and little happenings in the community and school 
life. Even though this may necessitate the introduction of several rather 
difficult words, it will be easier for the pupils to remember these than easy 
words learned in the ordinary way. 

A conversation class is more liable to drag than any other; hence, care 
should be taken to give this class one of the best periods in the day and a room 
that is bright, airy, and not too crowded. 

The successful teacher of conversation does not sit at his desk and 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


145 


mechanically read off questions from a book. He has made himself so 
familiar with his subject.that he is able to converse naturally with his pupils. 
He himself is an animated personality and compels the interested attention 
of all his class, because they are eager to see what he is going to do next. 
By his sympathetic manner he encourages originality and leads the timid 
pupil to express himself. Though he insists upon exactness in every detail, 
he carefully chooses the easier questions for the dull pupil, gradually leading 
him to have faith in himself and persevere until he succeeds. By a sympa¬ 
thetic, painstaking use of these varied methods of teaching, a teacher of 
even ordinary ability may transform the conversation class — so long looked 
upon as a bugbear — into a means of securing that fellowship between teacher 
and pupil which is so essential in character-building. 

THE BEGINNINGS OF ENGLISH IN A CHINESE CLASS 

Suppose that you are standing before your class on the very first day of 
school. Let us hope that you are fortunate enough to have no students who 
have already studied a little English in irregular ways, and have acquired 
bad habits that they will have to unlearn. If there should be any such 
students or “ drop-backs ” from last year’s class, it is much better to put 
them in a division by themselves, rather than let them spoil a class of eager 
beginners. 

1. Conversation 

Before attempting to train the eyes of your pupils, devote yourself to 
training their ears. To this end, .there should be four weeks given up to 
nothing but conversation, before the pupils see a word written on the black¬ 
board or look at an English book. When you begin to teach, hold up a 
picture of a man (the pictures and all objects shown should be large enough 
for every one in the class to see at once). Then say slowly and distinctly 
but naturally, “ man.” Call on each pupil to rise, one after the other, and 
say after you “ man.” Stand close to each one as he speaks, so that he can 
watch the way in which you use your lips, tongue, and teeth to form the 
sounds, and can imitate you exactly. Do not rest content until each pupil 
pronounces the word correctly. On no account translate the word, but let 


146 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


the pupils think out the meaning for themselves. If you have one picture 
of a Chinese man, another of a western man, one of an old man, another of 
a young man, so much the better, as it will help the pupils to form a clearer 
idea of the general application of the word. Next take out a fan which you 
have up to this time kept out of sight. Hold it up before the class and say 
“ fan.” After each member of the class has learned to pronounce this word 
correctly, take out of its hiding-place a tin pan, or if you have not been able 
to get a real pan, hold up a picture of one that you have drawn, and say “ pan.” 

Now take up in the same way the series “ cat,” “ rat,” “ hat,” illustrating 
each word with a picture, or, better still, with an object, either real or toy. 
The next thing is to present each of these six words in a sentence. Holding 
up the first picture, point to it and say slowly, » This is a man.” When a 
number of pupils have said this correctly after you, point to a fan and say, 
“ This is a fan.” When eight or ten pupils have practiced on this, introduce 
one of the other objects, using the same general form but varying the mo¬ 
notony by changing the object every few minutes. Do not translate these 
expressions at all; if you are careful to point to each object as you speak, 
the idea will gradually be grasped without translation. 

At the next lesson, either later on in the same day or on the following day, 

make sure that the form “ This is a-” is still clear in the minds of the 

pupils. Then, holding a fan in your hand, say, “ I have a fan.” Give the 
fan to one of the pupils and let'him say, “ I have a fan.” Pass on the fan 
and the sentence to six or eight pupils in turn, being careful not to let any one 
say the words until the fan is actually in his hand, lest he should fail to grasp 
the main idea of what he is saying. After using this form with the words 
already taught, introduce some other words found in the phonetic series of 
Part I, pages 103-106. 

When the form “ I have-” has been thoroughly learned, teach with 

objects the numerals from one to ten, taking care to add each day to the pupil's 
vocabulary a few of the most familiar nouns from the phonetic series of Part I. 
It will probably require several days to get these numerals firmly fixed in 
the pupils' minds. When, every one is ready to say quite naturally, “ I 
have five pens,” “ I have nine books,” it is time to pass on to the next step 
— the parts of the body, found in the phonetic series and in the miscellaneous 
list of sight words given in Part I. If any of the pupils are enterprising 




ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


147 


enough to ask for the English word for “ mouth,” “ hair,” or any of the other 
parts of the body not found in the vocabulary of Part I, do not hesitate to 
give them the word; but unless there are these special inquiries, it is better 
to keep to the carefully chosen list. Insist that each pupil point to that 
part of the body of which he is speaking; as, “ I have two eyes,” “ This is 
my foot,” “This is my nose.” 

In passing from “ I have ” to “ you have ” and “ he has,” great care 
should be taken to show the change of person. First take a cup in your 
hand and say, “ I have a cup.” Then pass it to the pupil to whom you are 
speaking and say, “ You have a cup.” Then passing it to another pupil, 
point to him but still look at the first pupil as you say, “ He has a cup.” 
If there is no woman or girl in the room, a picture of one with a cup should 
be shown. Considerable practice is needed in the. distinction between the 
masculine and the feminine, as' Chinese students so often confuse the 
pronouns. This matter of person is the most difficult one introduced so 
far and will doubtless require several days. It should be very firmly fixed 
in the minds of the pupils before any attempt is made to ask such ques¬ 
tions as, “ Have I a cup? ” ; it requires very clear thinking to be able to see 
the need for the change of person in the answer, “ Yes, sir, you have a cup.” 

If questions are asked at the very outset, there is a tendency for the pupil to 
repeat the question vaguely after the teacher. If, however, the form suitable 
for the answer has already become a familiar part of the pupil’s thought, it 
will be easy to get him to give the correct response to such questions as 
“ What is this?” “ What have you?” When first asking the question, 
“ What is this? ” be careful to point to an object as far from you as it is 
from the pupil addressed, so that it will be perfectly correct for him to 

reply, “ This is a-.” When this form has been firmly fixed, it will not 

be difficult to show that when the same question, “ What is this? ” refers 
to something in the hand of the speaker or belonging to him, the reply 
should be, “That is a picture,” or “That is your hand.” After the numerals 

have been learned, the questions, “ How many-have you ? ” or “ How 

many-are there? ” are easily understood and replied to. 

“ I can see a-” is a very useful form, as it is easily understood and 

affords a good opportunity for reviewing the names of all the objects thus 
far learned. It will then be easy to use the same auxiliary with some of the 




148 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

other verbs given in Lesson 11 and elsewhere in Part I; as, “ I can walk,” 
“ I can read.” 

If more than forty or forty-five minutes can be given each day to English 
conversation, it is far better to divide it into two periods : one in the morning, 
and another in the afternoon; or one at the beginning of the half-day’s work, 
and another at its close. In this way, both teacher and pupil will be kept 
from becoming fagged and listless. 

The number of forms that can be learned in these first four weeks will 
naturally depend upon the length of these daily periods, the size and ability 
of the class, and the ability of the teacher. Do not be in a hurry to cover 
ground, but insist rather upon thoroughness. Make sure that every pupil 
understands clearly every form taught and pronounces every new word 
as correctly and as distinctly as you expect him to pronounce it when he 
graduates. Experience goes to show that in all probability he will pronounce 
a word at the end of his course just as he was allowed to pronounce it during 
this first term. Insist upon a distinct enunciation of the final consonants, 
especially d, n, t, and ng. There should be no running together of words 
such as is so customary in most of the Chinese dialects. 

After four weeks devoted entirely to English conversation, there should be 
a period of three or four weeks of drill in phonetics before the pupils are allowed 
to read from the book. During this second preliminary period, however, 
half of the time should be given to conversation. This ear-training should 
be alternated with the training of eye and ear given in phonetics in such a 
way that neither will become tiresome. For the first four weeks, the words 
taught should be chosen, so far as possible, from the phonetic series of 
words in Part I. During this second preliminary period, the sight words 
in Part I, Set V, Division A, should also be generally introduced into the 
conversation, so that before they are presented to the eye in written or 
printed form, they will have become a part of the pupil’s thinking vocabu¬ 
lary and will need no explanation. 

2. Phonetics 

In beginning the phonetic drill, go back to the first series of words taught. 
Hold up the picture of a man and ask the pupils for one word describing it. 
When the word has been spoken, write it in large letters on the black- 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


149 


board; then point to it and have the whole class say after you in concert, 
“ man.” Now hold up a fan and then a pan, and get the pupils to name them. 
Write these words directly under “ man ” and then cover the m, f, and p 
with your book, to show the class that the endings of these words are exactly 
the same. Try to get some of the brightest pupils to think out for themselves 
the pronunciation of this ending, and then of the three initial sounds. Then 
write the three words already taught in such a way as to show the separation 
between initial and final sounds, as follows : 

m-an man 
f-an fan 
p-an pan 

Be careful to give the sounds of the letters, not the names. Do not allow 
the pupils to learn the names of the letters of the alphabet until at least two 
months later, when they should have become so familiar with the ordinary 
sounds of the letters that the sound, rather than the name, will suggest itself 
as soon as the letter is seen. 

After writing the above series of words on the blackboard, get the pupils 
to spell them phonetically, pronouncing the initial and final sounds separately 
and then blending the sounds, as the word is usually pronounced. After a 
number of pupils, including a few from the duller half of the class, have thus 
recited, drill the whole class in concert, taking care that no lazy or dull pupil 
mispronounces the sounds. 

Now take up the series “ cat,” “ rat,” “ fat,” “ hat,” showing pictures 
to illustrate and separating the written words into final and initial sounds 
as before. Individual and class drill should follow the introduction of each 
series. “ See,” “ me,” “ bee/’ “ he,” is the next series to be presented. 

As soon as a sound has been taught in several combinations, the pupils 
should be expected to recognize it at once whenever it occurs and give it the 
correct sound. For this purpose, the, teacher should prepare sets of phonetic 
cards, each bearing on one side a phonogram in ordinary small print, and on 
the other, the same phonogram in' script. There should be a set for each 
part of the book and a separate set for all the words in Part I that contain 
phonograms not yet taught and therefore have to be presented as sight 
words, as they cannot for the present be resolved into the sounds of which 


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they are composed. These sight words should at the beginning be divided 
by the teacher into two divisions: A, containing all the sight words that 
occur in the first sixteen lessons of Part I; and B, containing the sight 
words in the remainder of Part I. Before the pupils are allowed to have 
this reader or any other English book in their hands, all the words in Set 
V, Division A, and all the series of words given under Part I should be 
thoroughly taught; also all the phonograms given in Set I. This constant 
drill on phonetics may at first seem like a great strain on the faith 
and patience of teacher and pupils; but it certainly gives better results, 
and with care it may be kept from becoming tiresome. A word should 
always be first introduced in a sentence and illustrated, so that the pupil 
will have at least one idea associated with it in his mind before he sees it in 
the written form. The written form should be presented as a whole and 
thoroughly learned and associated with the idea of which it is a symbol, 
before it is divided into the phonetic parts of which it is composed. The con¬ 
sonant sounds should all be taught as initial sounds before the pupil is expected 
to recognize them as final sounds. When taught as final sounds, great care 
should be taken to see that they are enunciated very distinctly. 

Doubtless the pupils will begin to ask impatiently, “ When may we begin 
to read the book? ” If the teacher replies, “ You may begin it as soon as 
you can all pass an examination on the phonograms in Set I and the sight 
words in Set V, Division A,” the class will get to work in earnest, and the 
brighter students will urge on the dull ones. 

This preparatory work in conversation and phonetics may occupy even 
longer than eight weeks, but if it is properly done, the progress made by the 
pupils after the book has once been put into their hands will more than make 
up for the apparent delay. After seven weeks of such drill for an hour and 
a half a day, a class of by no means brilliant pupils easily read and under¬ 
stood more than fifty pages of a simple “ first book v in the five weeks suc¬ 
ceeding the drill. In reading, the students should not be allowed to trans¬ 
late at all; if the preparatory work has been thorough, they will be able to 
follow the meaning, and the teacher may bring it out by questions, suggestions, 
and illustrations, in simple English. Once in a while, if a sentence seems 
unusually difficult to explain, a pupil may be asked to translate it orally for 
the rest of the class. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


151 


The use of phonetic cards makes possible more frequent, rapid, and inter¬ 
esting drills than could ever be given if one depended entirely on the black¬ 
board, or on charts. It also saves the time of the teacher. 

As soon as ten or twelve phonograms have been taught and the pupils have 
learned to recognize them whenever they see them written on the black¬ 
board, the drill with the phonetic cards may begin. At first only the script 
side should be used; but when this has become familiar, the pupils should 
gradually be led to recognize the printed form also. 

The teacher takes a set of cards in his hand and stands in front of the class, 
where every pupil can see each card distinctly. He then calls on the pupils, 
one after the other in the order in which they are seated, to name the 
sound on the card presented. As soon as the sound is given correctly, the 
card is slipped back, and the next one in the pile is shown to the next pupil. 
If a pupil fails to give'the right sound at once or even hesitates, the teacher 
instantly calls on another pupil seated in another part of the room or says 
“ Any one,” as a signal for volunteers. In this way the interest of the whole 
class will be kept up. This drill should gradually become more rapid Until the 
teacher can “ go around ” a whole class in five minutes or less. When the 
pupils have become thoroughly familiar with the sounds, it will add value 
and interest to the drill if they , are sometimes required to give not merely 
the sound of the phonogram presented, but also a word containing this 
sound. 

Once or twice a month there should be an oral examination on the phono¬ 
grams. Each pupil should be called to the desk and should be required to 
give the exact sound of every phonogram and sight word thus far taught, 
as the teacher rapidly shows him one after the other. Have ready a small 
blank sheet of paper bearing the pupil’s name and write on it all the phono¬ 
grams or sight words that he fails to pronounce exactly. Tell him that on a 
certain day, not more than a week later, there will be another opportunity 
for him to recite these sounds and that he must know them by that time. 
If possible, try to have a little special drill for the slower pupils, giving the 
brighter ones something else to keep them busy. It is interesting to note 
the relation between pronunciation and character; often a slovenly way 
of speaking is simply an indication of irresolution. Many a pupil who at 
first seems utterly incapable of producing certain sounds, pronounces them 


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perfectly after the teacher has once roused his will power by telling him that 
he can and must give the exact sound. 

Sometimes it is a good thing to have this examination in phonograms con¬ 
ducted by another teacher, preferably the head of the department or the 
principal of the school, provided he is thoroughly familiar with the phonetic 
system. If the teacher of the class is a Chinese, it is all the more important 
to have the examination conducted l}y a teacher whose mother tongue is 
English, as it is almost impossible for even a very clever teacher to detect 
without fail slight errors of pronunciation in an acquired language. 

After the class has learned twenty or more sight words, a spirited review 
of these words may be conducted somewhat as follows: 

Before class, write on the blackboard, not in columns but in hit or miss 
fashion, all the sight words, with a sprinkling of words that have been learned 
phonetically in series. Call to the front two of the brightest pupils and give 
to each a pointer or a long ruler. Then stand at the back of the room 
and pronounce at random the words on the blackboard, skipping about from 
one word to another. As a word is pronounced, each of the two pupils tries 
to find it on the blackboard, and the whole class watches eagerly to see which 
one will first point to the correct word. After three or four minutes, another 
pair of students should have a turn. See that the rivals are pretty evenly 
matched, and be sure to give the slower pupils their share of turns. This 
game may be used as a scheme for reviewing new words once or twice a week 
as long as it continues to be interesting. 

In playing this game, in fact in all phonetic drill, it is difficult to keep young 
pupils from shouting out the sounds as soon as a phonogram or a word is 
presented to them. In learning the sounds, the pupils should be allowed to 
buzz them over very freely, even though this causes apparent disorder. How 
can they learn to make the correct sounds except by making them ? In drill 
and in review, however, the class should be trained to stop this buzzing sound 
and keep absolute silence as soon as the teacher lifts his hand. It will require 
some strictness at first to see that when one pupil is reciting the others keep 
quiet and give him his opportunity. 

During the first seven or eight weeks of English the time is devoted entirely 
to conversation, phonetics, the recognition of sight words, and the reading 
of sentences which the teacher writes on the blackboard, after having first 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


153 


taught them thoroughly in conversation. After the class has begun to read 
from the book, the daily drill in phonetics should still be kept up, though 
of course it need not take so large a proportion of the time. While the class 
is reading the first sixteen lessons in Part I, the sight words that occur in 
Lessons 17-32 should be gradually introduced in conversation and then made 
familiar in sentences written on the blackboard. At the same time there 
should be repeated drill on Set I of the phonograms and the series of words 
in Part I, especially those occurring in Lessons 17-32. 

While the class is actually reading Lessons 17-32, preparation for Part II 
should begin with drill on the phonograms in Set II and the series of words 
containing those phonograms. As the work progresses, it will not be neces¬ 
sary to teach the new sight words occurring in a lesson more than a day in 
advance of that lesson, as the reading matter itself will make plain the mean¬ 
ing of these words and will help to fix them in the memory. 

In teaching the remainder of Part II, as well as Parts III and IV, Book Two, 
the same general plan should be followed, preparing for each half-term’s work 
five or six weeks in advance and continuing the phonetic drills throughout 
the two years’ course. As the phonetics in this course include practically 
all the sounds that occur in the English language, with the representations of 
those sounds given in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, a student who has 
been thus thoroughly trained ought to be able in the third year to read 
almost any simple English book and to look up the pronunciation and mean¬ 
ing of words in the dictionary. During the third year “ dictionary drills ” 
should be introduced to test the pupil’s speed in finding a word and his ability 
to understand the phonetic markings. 

For the benefit of inexperienced teachers who may think it something of 
a problem to determine the right proportion of time to be given to each phase 
of the work, the following daily program is suggested. 

Such a program will, obviously, need considerable adaptation to meet the 
needs of various classes. It is assumed that the class has already had the 
seven or eight weeks of preliminary drill required and has begun the reading 
of the book. An hour and a half is the length of time required for this pro¬ 
gram, as it stands; but it is hoped that, if translation and spelling are done 
away with, many schools will be able to afford more time for the work in 
beginning English. If part of the drill could be in the morning and part 


154 


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in the afternoon, monotony would be avoided. Even one hour a day of 
English is worth while if it is thoroughly taught. 


Suggested Daily Program 


Time allowed. 

I. Drill on phonograms already learned.7 minutes. 

II. Introduction of one new phonogram and words from the various series 

containing that phonogram.10 minutes. 


III. Conversation.20 minutes. 

Part of this is devoted to the review of old forms with the new words just 
taught in II, while the last ten minutes should be given to the introduction 
of one new construction. 


IV. Physical exercise with windows open.3 minutes. 

V. Written work.20 minutes. 


If the class is large, half of the pupils may be writing while the other half 
are having a conversation lesson. Of the five periods a week given to written 
work, the first and third should be given to the writing of new exercises; 
the second and fourth, to the correction of those exercises; and the fifth, to 
the writing of words in a series as the teacher pronounces them. In the latter 
part of the second term, the student should be able to write sentences when 
dictated by the teacher. (See chapter on “ Spelling and Dictation.”) 

VI. Relaxation . . -.5 minutes. 

VII. Rapid drill on sight words, followed by the introduction of a few 

new sight words, varying the number according to the ability of the 
class. 5 minutes. 

VIII. Reading from the book.20 minutes. 

A program of this kind should always be considered somewhat elastic. 
For instance, when there is a dialogue or a game, it may be necessary to omit 
several features of the program. 










ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


155 


HINTS FOR TEACHING 
Parti 

It is assumed that the teacher has followed the suggestions in the pre¬ 
ceding chapters and has already given the class seven or eight weeks of pre¬ 
liminary drill in phonetics and conversation, as well as considerable drill 
in reading sentences written on the blackboard. Before the pupils are allowed 
to have an English book in their hands, they should have had not only this 
drill but also considerable familiarity with the printed form of the phono¬ 
grams and words as given on the back of the cards in Set I and in Set V, 
Division A. The reading lessons in the first half of Part I will then be suffi¬ 
ciently familiar to be read easily and naturally and will not seem like an 
exercise in picking out words. From the very beginning, a pupil should be 
trained to think out a whole sentence to himself, before he begins to read 
it; he may read slowly, if necessary, but he should never be allowed to halt 
for a word in the middle of a sentence. 

In addition to this general preparation in phonetics and conversation, 
which throughout the course should keep ten or fifteen lessons ahead of the 
reading lesson, there should also be more specific preparation for each reading 
lesson three days before the lesson occurs. The suggestions given in the 
following notes may be used partly in the general preliminary work and 
partly in the more direct special preparation. 

Lesson 1. So far as possible, bring to class the objects named in the lesson. 
If you cannot bring the real objects or toy objects, draw pictures of them or 
cut them out of newspapers or magazines and paste them on cardboard or 
paper muslin. A permanent collection of such pictures and objects is very 
useful to have in reviewing vocabularies and in furnishing themes for con¬ 
versation later on. Keep them put away, and bring out only one at a time. 
Do not even let the class see an object at the beginning of the period, but 
produce it suddenly. Use the elements of surprise and also of curiosity to 
keep up the interest. The pictures should be large enough so that when 
held up by the teacher, they can be seen by all the members of the class; 
but even small pictures or blackboard sketches are much better than nothing 
at all. 


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If all the words and all the grammatical forms have been thoroughly taught, 
a new combination of these words and forms will be a welcome feature of the 
reading lesson. For example, in Lesson I, “ The cat has a rat,” need not 
be previously taught in conversation, as it will be readily understood, especially 
when accompanied by a picture. 

Lesson If.. At least three days before teaching this lesson, prepare for it 
with “ A Blindfold Game.” Let one pupil come up front and stand facing 
the class. Hold up a picture of a hen or a toy hen and say, “ What can 
you see? ” After the pupil has replied, “ I can see a hen,” blindfold him or 
put the picture in the desk and then ask, “ Can you see a hen now?” 
Repeat these forms of questions with different pupils, using all the objects for 
which the pupils have learned the English names. This game ought to fix 
the two forms, “ I can see,” and “ I can not see,” so that they will become 
part of each pupil’s thinking vocabulary. 

In blindfolding the eyes of the pupils, run no risk of spreading any eye 
trouble that may exist. Have ready a number of strips of muslin, so that a 
fresh one may be used for each pair of eyes. These strips may afterwards 
be boiled and used again. 

Lesson 8. Game — “ How many ? ” This game affords a good oppor¬ 
tunity for a review of all the past work without letting the pupils feel that 
it is a review. In preparing for it, make a list of all the nouns taught thus 
far and try to have at least two or three of each of the objects named. The 
pupils themselves will gladly help in this preparation, if one object is definitely 
assigned to each pupil two or three days in advance. If it is not practicable 
to have the real objects or toy objects, have pictures of them ; however crude 
they may .be, they will serve the purpose and add to the interest. Try to 
have enough of these pictures or objects to distribute to at least half of the 
class and to give two or three of a kind to a few of the pupils. 

Before beginning the game, divide the class into two divisions, either by 
allowing two leaders to “ choose sides ” or by some other method of division. 
It will save time if these divisions are kept permanent for a month, or at least 
for two weeks, as there are many such games to be played later on. Each 
student can remember his own place. 

In Division A, distribute the objects to the students who have the odd 
numbers, and in Division B, to those with even numbers. The first pupil 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


157 


in Division A then shows his object or objects and says to the one opposite 
him, “ How many cups have I? ” 

After the first student in Division B has replied to this question, pupil 
No. 2 in Division B shows his object and asks a question of pupil No. 2 in 
Division A. When each pupil has thus had an opportunity either to ask a 
question or to answer one, the objects may be collected and distributed to 
those who replied to the questions. The game may then be played again if 
there is time. 

If there are so many students that there are not objects enough for half 
of them, some of them may be given, instead of pictures, slips of paper on 
each of which is written the name of some feature or part of the body already 
learned. A student receiving such a paper would then ask, “ How many 
ears have I? ” 

If the class is small, this game with the parts of the body may be played 
first, and the game with objects may be kept until a few days later, when a 
greater number of nouns have been learned. 

Lesson 13. A Picture Game. This game furnishes an entertaining method 
of review. In preparation for it, make a list of all the nouns thus far taught 
and illustrate by means of pictures. These may be cut out of magazines or 
simply sketched in outline (see note on Lesson 1, Part I). The pupils 
may choose sides, and the pictures are to be distributed to the pupils of 
one side who bear the odd numbers and to those on the other side who 
bear the even numbers. The pupil who has a picture holds it up before 
the pupil opposite him and says, “ What can you see in this picture? ” or 
“ Is this a picture of a cat? ” Let the class have considerable practice on 
these questions with many variations for two or three days before the game. 
Then at the beginning of the game, write these two forms on the blackboard 
and drill the class in concert a few times. So far as possible, let each 
pupil decide for himself which form of question to use. If the pupil seems 
really too slow to repeat either form intelligently, let him simply ask, 
“What is this? ” or “What can you see?” Insist, however, that the 
answer must be, 11 That is a picture of an ear, not That is an eai , I can 
see a picture of a cat,” not 11 1 can see a cat.” 

If there is time, collect the pictures and give them out again to those who 
answered the questions the first time. 


158 


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Lesson 1%. Daily greetings and all other expressions that are used in class 
every day should always be given in English and acted out in such a way 
that after a few days even the dullest pupil cannot fail to understand and 
respond to “ Please close the door ” and other similar expressions. The 
pupils should be taught to say “ please ” even to each other and to reply 

to a question asked by a teacher,.“ Yes, Mr. -,” or “ No, Miss-.” 

Many teachers prefer to teach pupils to say, “Yes, sir,” “ No* sir,” and 
“ Good morning, sir.” These forms follow the etiquette of an English class¬ 
room and have the great advantage of being always ready for use, without 
reference to the names of the individual teachers or of strangers. 

Lesson 18. Use many sentences as examples to help the pupils to associate 
“ hear ” with “ ear ” so as to avoid confusing it with “ here.” 

Lesson 19. The exercise for this day can hardly be called a game, as it 
is rather too difficult for pupils themselves to prepare. Let there be plenty 
of action in it, however. For instance, the teacher asks, “ With what do 
you open your book? ” The pupil of whom the question is asked at once 
opens his book and replies, “ I hold my book with one hand and open it with 
the other hand.” 

If the question is, “ Does-write those words with a pen? ” the 

student whose name is mentioned at once begins to write, while the one 

addressed replies, “No, sir,-writes those words with his pencil.” 

Other sentences that may serve as suggestions are as follows: 

With what does a deer run ? 

With what does-walk ? 

With what do you look at pictures ? 

With what do I take my book out of the desk? 

With what do you close the window? 

With what do you wash your face ? 

Do you write with both hands ? 

Lesson 20. Use this reading lesson afterwards as a dialogue with action. 
Explain the idiom, “ take your seat.” 

Lesson 21. A Blindman’s Game. Blindfold one of the pupils. Let the 
others form a circle around him and go round and round until the “ blindman ” 
in the center raps on the floor with his cane, when everyone must stop and 









ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


159 


stand perfectly still. The “ blindman ” then points with his cane to one of 
the pupils, who must at once take hold of the other end of the cane and reply 
to each of the three questions asked by the “ blindman.’’ All the questions 
and answers must be in English and may be somewhat as follows: 

“ Are you a man? ” 

“ No, I am not a man; I am a boy.” 

“ Are you tall? ” 

“ Yes, I am very tall.” 

“ Where do you live? ” 

“ I live on the hill.” 

“ Is there anything in your hand? ” 

“Yes, there is a pencil in my hand.” 

After three questions and answers, the blindman must guess the name of 
the one who gives the answers. He may have three guesses, and then if he 
still fails he must be “ it ” again. If he succeeds in guessing correctly, the 
pupil whose name is guessed must be “ it and take his turn as blindman. 

It will add greatly to the interest of the class if the pupil who is giving the 
answers changes his voice and pretends to be some one else. Explain that 
if fictitious answers are given in a game like this, there is no sin against the 
law of truth. 

This game will need to be carefully prepared for. The day before assigning 
the lessoh, explain to the pupils the plan of the game and write on the 
blackboard six or eight questions suitable for the “ blindman ” to ask. Good 
suggestions for these questions may be found in Lessons 15, 17, and 18. 
Then let different members of the class suggest a suitable answer to each 
question and write down the suggested answer opposite each question. 
Drill the pupils on questions and answers and tell them that each one must 
be ready next day to respond to any question that is asked him, as well as to 
ask three questions. Encourage originality in the answers. 

Lesson 23. Explain carefully the difference between the Chinese way and 
the English way of answering the questions, “ How many sisters have I? 

“ How many brothers have I? ” 

Lesson 25. Game — “ What are you doing ? ” The day before this game 
is to be played, a list should be made of all the verbs in the vocabulary of the 


160 


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pupils up to this time, especially those in Lesson 11. If there is time it would 
be a good plan to get the pupils to help make out this list by glancing rapidly 
through the lessons and selecting all the action-words studied thus far. As 
the pupils pick out the words, write them rapidly on the blackboard, suggest¬ 
ing any that are being overlooked. Write only the simple present form of 
the verbs and do not call them verbs, but “action-words.” See that each 
pupil copies the list. Then tell the class that next day each one is to come 
prepared to act out one of the action-words and to guess the words acted out 
by the others. Tell them that each pupil is to be an actor and must try to 
make what he does interesting and different from what the others do. To 
this end he may eat, drink, run, or do anything he wishes, and may bring 
to school any food or toy which he needs for this; but he must not tell any 
one what he is going to do. This very secrecy and the fact that the usual 
rules of order for the classroom are suspended will add zest to the preparation. 
When the time comes for the game, divide pupils into Divisions A and B. 
(See note on Lesson 8.) Pupil No. 1 in Division A then takes a cake out 
of his pocket and begins to eat it. No. 1 in Division B, directly opposite 
him, asks, “ What are you doing? ” to which the actor must reply at once, 
“ I am eating a cake.” Pupil No. 2 in Division B then does the acting, and 
Pupil No. 2 in Division A asks the question. If the time permits, there should 
be another turn, giving those who have been asking questions an opportunity 
to be actors. 

If a pupil is not prepared to act or to tell what he is doing, he should be 
obliged to sit down at once. 

Lesson 27. Select two pupils for each sentence; one to give the command, 
one to obey it. Each command should be obeyed exactly. 

Lesson 30. Telling and Doing. Three days before assigning this lesson, 
give the class a thorough drill in understanding and obeying exactly any 
command or request that you may give. This will afford a good oppor¬ 
tunity to review vocabulary and constructions, especially the use of 
the various prepositions. Refer to the list of action-words made for 
Lesson 25, after having added to it any other suitable verbs found in 
Lessons 26-29. 

Show the pupils when “ please ” is necessary and when it need not be used. 
There is a tendency to say, “ Please you open the door.” Explain that when 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 161 

giving a command or request, “ you ” is never expressed, though always 
implied. 

The day before this game is to be played, tell the pupils that their work 
in preparation for the next day will be the thinking out of six or eight com¬ 
mands or requests; it is necessary to have a number of these ready, as no 
pupil should ever be allowed to give a sentence like what has already been 
given. 

When the time comes for the game to be played, the teacher starts it by 
giving out a command or request to be obeyed by one of the brighter pupils. 
If the pupil succeeds in understanding and obeying this exactly, he is entitled 
to give a command to any one else whom he may choose. If any one obeys, 
he may command ; if not, the opportunity is passed on to another. 

As soon as a pupil has obeyed and commanded some one else, he takes 
his place in a line of honor pupils standing at one side of the room, so that 
he will not be asked again and again. Those who fail may be called on a 
second time, unless the class is too large to admit of this. Those who fail 
a second time should be ruled out of the game, and should sit or stand by 
themselves. This game may be used very aptly .to impress upon the class 
the old truth that only those who have learned to obey are worthy to command 
others. 

After the positive commands and requests have been thoroughly taught, 
the negative form u do not ” should be introduced and taught in the same 
way. 

Part II 

Lesson 1. Teach with many examples the two chief uses of the suffix 
" er.” Use many illustrations to bring out clearly the distinction in the use 
of “ bring ” and “ take.” 

Lesson 2. Explain the idiomatic use of “ keep ” in this lesson. 

Lesson 3. Game — “ What time is it?” In teaching the pupils to tell 
time, it will be found very helpful to have a large pasteboard clock with 
wire hands that can easily be moved to indicate any time of day. A clock 
of this kind may be purchased from a kindergarten supply firm, or may be 
made by the teacher himself out of an old box top and some pieces of wire. 
For this game it will be a great advantage to have two such clocks, one for 


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each side. The game should not be played until the pupils are thoroughly 
familiar with the clock and can tell the hour, the half hour, and the quarter 
hour readily. Telling time to the exact minute should be deferred until a 
later lesson when the necessary terms have been learned. Then the game 
may be played with renewed interest. 

Let the class select two leaders who are to choose sides. Then let pupil 
No. 1 in Division A turn the hands of the clock to any hour that he wishes 
and hold it up as he says to pupil No. 1 in Division B, “ What time is it? ” 
When this question has been answered, pupil No. 2 in Divisioli B fixes the 
hands of his clock and holds it up asking No. 2 in Division A, “ What time 
is it? ” and so on through the game. If a pupil fails to reply correctly, he 
is asked to sit down, and the question is passed on to the pupil next in order 
on the other side. If the question is not answered on that side, it goes back 
to the side on which it started, and so on from side to side until it is answered 
correctly. At the close of the game, the side having the greater number of 
pupils left standing is declared to be the winning side. 

If it is impossible to procure a pasteboard clock, draw a clock face on the 
blackboard and let the pupils indicate the time by drawing the hands. 

Lesson 5. Distinguish carefully between the use of “ when ” in the clause, 
“ when the west wind blows up the river/’ and “when ” as used in asking 
questions. 

Lesson 7. Prepare for this lesson several days beforehand by considerable 
drill on the use of “ shall ” and “ will.” Tell the students that in preparing 
this lesson each one is to think out an answer for each question, so that he 
can be ready to answer instantly any question that is asked him. 

Lesson 10. In assigning this lesson, tell the students that each one must 
think out a complete answer to each question and be ready to give it in class 
as soon as a pupil asks him the question. Three days after this lesson has 
been thoroughly taught, review it in the following way. Before coming 
to class prepare a list of all the adjectives thus far taught. Write them on 
the blackboard and get the students to give the comparative form of each. 
Write these on the blackboard as they are given. Then tell the students 
that each one is to bring two objects to class the next day and have ready a 
question comparing the two. For example, “ Is this pencil larger than that 
one? ” It will add to the interest of the lesson if the pupils are allowed to 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 163 

take sides. If a previous suggestion has been followed, the class will 
have already been divided into two sides, so extra time need not be 
consumed. 

Lesson 11. Up to this time “ who ” has been used only in asking ques¬ 
tions. Explain carefully, with many illustrations, the use as a relative. 

Lesson 13. Three days after teaching “ The Diary ” (Written work, 
Lesson 12), review it as follows. Tell the students that each one is to refer 
to the diary that he wrote in his notebook and learn it so carefully before 
coming to class that he can tell without hesitating what he did on each day 
of the week. Then in class let one pupil say to another, “ Last Saturday 
afternoon I went to the park. What did you do? ” or “ Friday afternoon 
all the boys played ball. What did you do? ” 

In playing this game sides may be taken as usual, or one pupil may call 
on another, who replies and then in turn asks a third pupil, and so on. If 
this game is properly prepared for and well carried out, it will help the pupils 
to get a free use of the past tense. 

Lesson 14 . Explain carefully with illustrations the difference between 
“ family ” in this sense and in the sense of a family of kittens. 

Lesson 15. A Contest. It will be a great help to the students in learning 
comparatives and superlatives in a way they can never forget, if at this time 
a contest is introduced. Have, for instance, a race in which several students 
take part. While they are actually running, ask one of the on-lookers, 

“ Is-running faster than-? ” To this the reply may 

be, “ No, he is not running faster than-, but he is running much 

faster than-.” Then comes the question, “ Who is running fastest 

of all? ” or “ Who is the best runner of all? ” 

After the race is over, the same questions or similar ones should be asked 
in the past tense. The race is practicable only if the class can be taken out 
of doors, but there are various other contests that can be adapted for use in 
the classroom. 

Following is a list of suggested contests from which the teacher may choose 
those most suited to his own pupils, according to their age and sex and 
various conditions. Before coming to class he should think out carefully 
just what questions he is going to ask, adapting them to the different con¬ 
tests, and varying them, of course, according to circumstances. 









164 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


1. A Race — to see who can run the fastest. 

2. Two Jumping Contests — to see who can jump the highest and the 
farthest. 

3. A Kicking Contest — to see who can kick the shuttlecock the highest. 

4. A Drawing Contest — to see who can draw the finest pictures. 

5. A Singing Contest — to see who can sing the best song. 

6. A Speaking Contest— to see who can speak the plainest English. 
Give the students beforehand a few lines of English verse or prose to commit 
to memory and recite for this occasion. 

At the beginning of Part III, when “ as . . . as ” and adverbs with their 
comparatives and superlatives have been thoroughly mastered, it would be 
interesting and helpful to have another contest of this kind. 

Lesson 18. In this lesson, as in other dialogues, it will add interest to 
the reading, if at the outset the members of the class are told to be on the 
lookout for the most spirited readers. If the class is too large for each pupil 
to have a part and carry it all the way through, let the parts be changed 
after the purchasers reach the shop. At the close of the reading lesson, 
when the whole dialogue has been read through at least two or three times, 
let the class choose the four best readers. Then arrange with these four 
that on the third day after the reading of this lesson, they are to bring pieces 
of cloth and a few other things to suggest a shop and arrange a miniature 
shop in the front of the classroom, so that the dialogue may be acted out. It 
is not necessary for the speakers to commit the parts to memory, but they 
can easily become so familiar with the words as to read them in easy con¬ 
versational style and act out the parts as they read; better still, they may 
talk offhand, without following the exact words of the book. 

Later on, it may be found interesting to have another shopping game. 
Several of the pupils could be asked to arrange fruit and vegetable stalls, 
and then the other pupils could take turns in buying things. The Chinese 
have remarkable dramatic ability and can easily work out these ideas with a 
few suggestions from the teacher. 

Lesson 19. This lesson gives a good opportunity for a review without 
making the pupils realize very keenly that it is a review. Before coining 
to class, the teacher should prepare a list of at least a hundred and ten of the 
most unfamiliar words thus far taught in Part II. The questions given here 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


165 


are a mere suggestion of the many other questions that are to be asked under 
the direction of the teacher. Each one of the review words should be called 
for and pronounced distinctly. 

If the students do not seem to be thoroughly familiar with the ordinal 
numbers, they should be drilled on them in the same way three days later, 
but with an entirely different list of review words, unless the list given on the 
first day proves to be quite unfamiliar. 

Lesson 20. The day before this game is to be played, tell all the pupils 
to stand in line, and number them in order. Then tell each student to re¬ 
member his number and bring it to class next day printed on a piece of paper 
in figures large enough to be seen across the room. Tell each one to come 
prepared also to act out some action-word that he has already learned. In 
order to give the greatest variety, tell the pupils that they may feel perfectly 
free to bring to class anything they wish to help them in acting out the verb. 

At the beginning of the game, the students should again stand in line 
in the same order, with their numbers pinned to their coats. The teacher 
calls “ Number 17/' and the seventeenth boy at once steps out of the line, 
takes a picture out of his pocket, and begins to look at it. Then the teacher 
calls on another pupil and says, “ What is the seventeenth boy doing? ” To 
this comes the reply, u The seventeenth boy is looking at a picture.” After 
the twenty-first boy has acted his part, the teacher asks, “ What was the 
twenty-first boy doing a minute ago? ” The reply is, “ A minute ago the 
twenty-first boy was sitting on the window-sill.” If time permits, the teacher 
may make sure that the students are thoroughly familiar with the ordinals 
by going through the line rapidly but not in order, saying, “ What is the 
name of the eleventh boy?” “ What is the surname of the twenty-third 
boy? ” etc. 

Lesson 22. Bring to class an English calendar, with figures large enough 
to be seen from any point in the room. Better still is a calendar showing 
the dates according to western reckoning and the dates according to Chinese 
reckoning arranged in parallel columns. From this time on, the students 
should be required every day to state, not merely the day of the week, but 
also the day of the month according to both the Chinese and the western 
calendar. 

Lesson 25. The pupils should read this dialogue over in class several 


166 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


times the day before they attempt to act it out with the table, dishes, 
etc. The members of the class should then choose the three best readers 
to take the parts of the two brothers and their servant (see note on Lesson 
18, Part II). It will be worth all the trouble it takes to set a table in true 
western style, if in this way the pupils can be taught the simplest rules of 
western table etiquette. A man who speaks English is expected to know 
how to mingle socially with English-speaking people, and it is not fair to him 
to allow him to grow up without a knowledge of ordinary western etiquette. 

In reading or reciting this lesson do not let the pupils read the figures or 
any of the words in parentheses. 

Call the attention of the pupils to the distinction shown in this lesson in 
the use of “ like ” and “ wish.” The older brother says “ like,” because 
he has often eaten jam and knows he enjoys it. But “ wish ” is the word 
to use in regard to anything which one is about to do or hopes to do. 

THE TWO FOLD USE OF WRITTEN WORK 

Throughout this book all the sentences given under the head of Written 
Work are intended to be used in two ways: 

a. To teach the pupil, from the very beginning, to express his thoughts 
in correct written form. 

b. To suggest to the teacher the most important idioms or inflected forms 
in the order in which they should be presented in teaching easy conversation. 

The secondary use, while less obvious than the first, is really the more 
essential of the two. The teacher should keep looking ahead and should pre¬ 
pare for each exercise by at least twenty minutes of oral drill three days 
in advance. During the two days succeeding this first drill, let him ask 
questions involving the use of the given form, until he is sure that even 
the dullest pupil understands it. The sentences given in the oral drill 
should not be exactly like those in the exercises but should emphasize the same 
idiom or inflected form in many different ways. Then when the written 
exercise is given, the teacher should regard it in the light of an examination,, 
not for the pupils but for himself. If the sentences of two thirds of the 
class show that they really get the point that has been drilled upon, he 
may feel encouraged and go on to the preparation for the next exercise. If, 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


167 


however, more than half of the class fail on the written work, he should 
patiently renew his explanations and give oral drill on the same point for 
two or three more days before again presenting the exercise. He should not 
scold the pupils or make them think that they have failed. Let him remem¬ 
ber that if the written work is attempted before the pupil has clearly in mind 
what he ought to write, the act of writing will only serve to perpetuate the 
error or confusion that is in his mind; on the other hand, if the correct form 
has really been mastered, writing it out will just as surely aid in impressing 
this upon the memory. 

It is important that every pupil should have a notebook substantial enough 
and large enough to last through at least one term. In using the notebook, 
let the teacher insist that the pupils leave a blank page opposite each exer¬ 
cise. Then, after he has corrected the notebooks and is about to hand them 
back, let him ask the pupil who had the best sentences to copy his sentences 
on the blackboard. The teacher should correct any slight errors there may 
be in these sentences and also should call especial attention to the points 
in regard to which mistakes have been most frequently made, in each case 
explaining the correct form. Each pupil in the class should then be asked to 
copy the correct form of the sentences into his notebook, on the page opposite 
the sentences originally written by him. The very fact that the eye can 
glance easily from the mistakes of Sentence 1 to Sentence 1 in its correct form 
directly opposite, will make for efficiency. 

It would be a waste of time and 1 energy to require pupils whose sentences 
were perfect the first time to copy them. In order to avoid this, and as an 
additional incentive to precision in sentence-writing, the teacher might read 
out a list of those whose sentences were perfect. This group of pupils might 
be asked to sit in one part of the room, where some special sentences have 
been placed on the blackboard for them to write while the rest of the class 
are copying. The teacher should explain that through this additional work 
a student gets far more out of the course than if he has to spend time doing 
work over. 

Even in giving out the sentences for the first time, the teacher should 
always compose a few additional sentences to illustrate still fuither the points 
to be drilled upon. One, at least, of these sentences should be required of 
all the pupils in order to make sure that they do not prepare the lesson by 


168 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


getting some one to write out the sentences for them to copy or memorize. 
The only preparation needed is the oral drill given by the teacher, and the 
students ought not to be aware that they are being prepared for written 
work. They should never feel that the written exercises are an examina¬ 
tion or that the oral work is simply a means to an end. 

The teacher should not give an oral drill in preparation for a written lesson 
on the day when the sentences are to be written. If there is time for oral 
work on that day, it should be after the sentences have been written and 
should take up new work. 

At the close of the period given to the written work, the notebooks should 
be collected, and should always be kept by the teacher except when the pupils 
are actually writing in them. A few days before the review, which should 
be given once a month, the notebooks should be returned to the pupils, so 
that each one may go over by himself the points in which he failed at first. 
From the very beginning of the written work, neatness should be emphasized ; 
one incentive for this would be the selection of the best notebooks for exhibi¬ 
tion at the close of the term. 

It is not supposed that this written work will furnish sufficient practice in 
penmanship for a student who is only beginning to write English. In addi¬ 
tion there should, of course, be daily exercises in penmanship. 

NOTES ON WRITTEN WORK 
Part I 

In teaching the written work in Part I, let each pupil copy neatly on the 
left-hand page of his note'book all the sentences in a given exercise, leaving 
blank spaces as in the copy. Everything except notebooks and pencils 
should then be put away. The words from which the pupil is to choose what 
to write in the blank spaces should be written on the blackboard, and the 
pupils should be given time to decide which word in the list ought to be used 
to fill out each blank. Gradually get the class to make this choice more 
and more rapidly, as the habit of quick yet exact judgment is essential. 

Lesson 1. a, an. 

Lesson 2. one, two, three, four, no. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


169 * 


If possible, have a picture of a map with eggs; or, if he has no eggs, the 
pupils may write, “ The man has no eggs.” Let them think this out for them¬ 
selves. In this lesson and elsewhere as opportunity occurs, call attention 
to the distinction between “ a ” and “ the.” Show the pupils that “ a rat ” 
may mean any rat in the world, while “ the man ” refers to the particular 
man in the picture. • 

Lesson 3. has, have. 

Lesson 4- a, an, has, have. 

Before the pupils begin to write these sentences, pin up on the wall or draw 
on the blackboard a large picture of a face; then pin over it a sheet of paper, 
so as to cover all but one ear; then cover all but the nose. Or pictures of 
a nose and an ear may be drawn on the blackboard. Practice with these pic¬ 
tures orally for several days before assigning this written exereisp. 

Lesson 5. cat, rat, eggs, fans, eyes, ears, many. 

Lesson 6. Write on the blackboard the names of several men and boys, 
without distinguishing them. These names should be familiar to the pupils, 
so that they can think out for themselves whether the word “ man ” or “ boy ” 
is the appropriate term to be applied. 

Have pictures or objects to illustrate Sentences 3 and 4, but instead of having 
only two or three words to choose from in filling out these blanks, write on 
the blackboard a list of all the nouns studied thus far, so that the pupils may 
go through the list carefully in order to choose the right word for each object 
shown. This will help them to avoid mistakes in spelling. 

Lesson 7. any, some. 

Before asking the pupils to fill out these blanks, give them practice enough 
in conversation to make sure that they thoroughly understand the distinction 
between these two words, which are so often confused by Chinese students 
of English. Teach them that “ any ” is a word used in asking questions and 
in giving a reply where “ not ” is used, but that “ some ” is the word to be 
used in giving an affirmative reply. 

Lesson 9. The day before assigning these review sentences, give the 
class a very thorough drill on the constructions involved in this lesson. Then 
when these sentences are to be written, let them be a real test of the pupil's 
power to think things out for himself. Do not write any words on the black¬ 
board, but tell the pupils to spell the words as well as they' can without any 


170 ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 

help. The spelling can easily be corrected in the second writing of these sen¬ 
tences. 

Lesson 10. his, her, my, your. 

By the use of many illustrations, try to fix firmly in the minds of the pupils 
the correct possessive adjectives to go with each one of the personal pro¬ 
nouns. If this preparatory work is begun several days beforehand, these 
sentences will not be too difficult. 

Lesson 11. stand, open, walk, sit, like, close, read, lay. 

stands, opens, walks, sits, likes, closes, reads, lays. 

The chief point in this lesson is the addition of $ to the simple form in form¬ 
ing the third person singular number of the verb. This point, so often over¬ 
looked by Chinese students, should be brought out very clearly at the very 
beginning and insisted on ever after. It will be observed that eight verbs 
have been given, from which the pupils may choose six to fill the blanks. This 
is to give them a little better opportunity for individual choice and also to 
test their powers of thinking. 

Lesson 12. to look at, to read, to eat. 

Lesson Ilf.. Do, Does. 

Show that this distinction between the third person singular and the other 
forms of the verb is the same as that made in Lesson 11, except that here it 
is used in asking questions. 

Lesson 15. If the pupils do not know how to write their own names cor¬ 
rectly in Romanized form, this is a good opportunity to teach them. Do 
not allow them to fill out the blanks with Chinese characters. 

Lesson 16. is, are. 

Lesson 17. Tell the pupils that the vocabulary of the lesson contains the 
words needed to fill out the blanks in the first two sentences and that they 
must think them out for themselves. In fact, from this lesson on through the 
remainder of Part I, the pupils should be able to fill out the blanks without 
having any suggested words on the blackboard. At first they may have 
some difficulty with the spelling, but that can soon be remedied by careful 
corrections on the part of the teacher. If the pupils do not know how to spell 
the numerals, they may find them in the vocabularies of Lessons 2 and 23. 
In the remainder of the written work, most of the words needed are so obvious 
that unless special instruction is necessary, i>o notes will be made on the lessons. 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


171 


Lesson 22. flying, taking, building, sitting, using. 

Call the attention of the students to the fact that they must not use “is” 
with the verb, unless. “ -ing ” is added to give the progressive meaning. 

Lesson 2J+. To be filled with the names of students in the class. 

Sentences 3, 4, and 5 — near, far. 

Lesson 26. boat, ship, likes, sand. 

In Sentences 3 and 4, some of the pupils will probably write “draw a map,” 
others “row a boat” ; either one is correct. 

Lesson 27. under, in, on, out of, off. 

Prepositions are very difficult to use correctly and need a great deal of 
practice. Be sure to illustrate the first two sentences by placing a boy’s 
cap on or under his desk and by showing a fan in a box. There should be a 
great deal of previous preparation on “take off,” “put on,” and “take out 
of.” 

Lesson 28. too, two, to. 

It may help the pupils to remember the distinction in the use and spelling 
of these three Words, if the teacher explains that since “to” and “too” 
are pronounced exactly alike, the second “o” in “too” is superfluous, which 
is exactly in accord with its meaning in such expressions as “too much,” 
“ too many,” “too long.” Call attention to the fact that the “w” in “two” 
has two little points or legs on which to stand. This method, though arti¬ 
ficial, may help the pupils to remember that the “two” containing the two- 
legged “ w ” stands for number two. 

Lesson 29. English, Chinese. 

Call the attention of the pupils to the fact that proper nouns and adjec¬ 
tives must begin with capital letters. If this is insisted upon at the very 
first, it need not be a stumbling-block later on. 

Lesson 31. up, in, on, under, with. 

Another lesson on prepositions. Be sure to illustrate it with objects. 
Before taking up this lesson at all, review orally the written work in Lesson 
27, with many other similar sentences illustrating the use of these preposi¬ 
tions. This should be all the help the students require, so do not write on 
the blackboard the words needed to fill the blanks. 

Lesson 32. can, may, must, will, do. 

Call attention to the fact that all these auxiliary verbs are words used to 


172 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


help express the meaning of other verbs and are not used alone, except 
when some other verb is understood with them, as “ May I go out? ” “ Yes, 

you may.” Never allow a pupil to ask, “Can I go out?” but distinguish 
carefully between the use of “ can ” and “ may.” 

There is a tendency on the part of Chinese students of English to use “ to ” 
after some of these auxiliary verbs, especially after “ will,” which is confused 
with “ wish.” Distinguish carefully between these two verbs and show that 
a helping verb is really part of the verb which it helps and does not need to 
be joined to it with “to,” as do such verbs as “like,” “wish” and “want.” 

After these auxiliary verbs have been thoroughly taught, try to bring them 
into the daily conversation as often as possible, as considerable practice in 
their use is necessary. 

Part II 

In Part II pupils are expected to be able not only to fill out blanks, but 
also to formulate answers to questions. ShoW how the very form of a ques¬ 
tion usually gives the clue to the answer, though the order of the words must 
be changed. Even in the oral work, require a complete answer to every ques¬ 
tion for the sake of the drill it gives. If carried too far, this tends to make 
one’s conversation stilted; so by the time pupils have reached the beginning 
of Part IV, Book Two, they should be encouraged to give abbreviated answers 
and to use contractions. Before learning to abbreviate, however, it is im¬ 
portant for them to know what they are abbreviating. There are a few ex¬ 
ercises in Part II where blanks are to be filled out, but the words to be used 
in filling them need not be written on the blackboard, as by this time the 
pupil ought to be able to think things out for himself. 

Try in every .case to make the facts correspond to what is written in the 
sentences. For instance, in Lesson 4, actually put something into your 
desk, and later on take it out. Put something on the floor under the seat of 
one pupil, and see that other conditions are fully met. Where blanks are 
left for names, fill them out with the names of students in the class. Where- 
ever the sentences are not appropriate, adapt them. 

Lesson 5. Use many questions and answers to show the difference between 
“ come ” and “ go.” 

Lesson 7. Before assigning this exercise, use many illustrations to explain 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


173 


that the auxiliary used in these questions should be the same as that expected 
in the answer. Bring out clearly the fact that all the sentences in this exer¬ 
cise, as well as in the written work, express simple futurity. Do not at¬ 
tempt to teach the use of ■ “ shall ” and “will” to express determination, 
until the second year of work. 

Lesson 9. The purpose of this lesson is to teach the pupil how to use each 
form of the personal pronouns in the right case. Do not distinguish the 
cases by name, but illustrate with many sentences the way in which the 
various forms are used. This is not easy, but after several days of practice 
the pupil ought to be able to fill out the blanks correctly. The key to the 
filling out of these blanks is as follows: 

1. my — them. 

2. her — she — them — they •*— her. 

3. his — he — them — they — him. 

4. we — our — our — us. 

Do not write these pronouns in this order, however, but instead write on the 
blackboard beforehand a table of the inflected forms of the pronouns in 
logical order, as I — my — me. If possible, get the pupils to fill out the 
blanks without having anything on the blackboard at the time. 

Lesson 22. After a few days of practice in seeing how an adjective is de¬ 
rived from another word by adding ful, pupils ought to be able to fill out 
these blanks without any difficulty whatever. In introducing this, it would 
be well to show the class a cupful of water, a spoonful of tea. From these 
illustrations it will be easy to show them that a skillful workman is one who is 
full of skill. 

Write on the blackboard the words “useful,” “thankful,” “helpful,” 
and tell the pupils to write sentences of their own containing these words. 

Lesson 23. The formation of adverbs from many adjectives by adding 
ly is so simple that it can readily be learned from the beginning, with a few 
days of practice. Do not let the pupils think, however, that an adverb can 
be formed in this way from every adjective. In addition to the sentences 
here given, ask the pupils to make sentences containing “ quickly,” “ slowly,” 
“ busily.” 

Lesson 24. Do not allow the pupils to reply, as they frequently do, “ This 


174 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


is the Chinese February,” or “This is the Chinese December.” In referring 
to the Chinese calendar, they should say, “This is the second month of the 
Chinese year,” or “This is the twelfth month of the Chinese year.”- 

The sentences in this exercise, however, are intended to be answered ac¬ 
cording to the western calendar. 

SPELLING AND DICTATION 
Spelling 

Outside of school, the average person rarely uses his ability to spell except 
when he is writing a letter or some other form of composition. It seems 
reasonable, therefore, to begin the teaching of spelling by getting each pupil 
to write simple words from memory, and, as soon as possible, to start writing 
sentences. 

It is not worth while to attempt anything in the way of spelling until after 
the first few weeks of preliminary drill, when the class has already begun 
to use the reader. If, however, at that time the writing of words in series 
is taken up regularly, it will be a very interesting way of reviewing the phono¬ 
grams already learned. 

To begin with, tell the pupils to prepare paper and pencils, but not to put 
anything except their names on the papers until they are told to write. Now 
write on the blackboard the familiar word “at” and ask one of the pupils 
to pronounce it. Then ask the pupils to close their eyes and try to see a 
mental picture of the form of the word. After the pupils have opened their 
eyes and have again looked at the word, erase it from the blackboard and then 
ask them to write it from memory on their papers. If the class is not too 
large, pass quickly around to make sure that each one has this first word 
written correctly. The next word in the series is not written on the black¬ 
board at all. Tell the pupils to listen very attentively and to be ready to 
write the word you are about to pronounce beneath “at” ; then pronounce 
very slowly and distinctly the word “cat.” After this has been written 
down, give the words “fat,” “hat,” “rat,” and “that,” in the order in 
which they stand. 

On pages 103 to 112 will be found a list of words in Part I and 
Part II arranged in series, in the approximate order in which they should 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


175 


be taught. Not more than one long series or two short series should be 
presented in one day. The pupils should hever be asked to spell a word 
Unless they are already familiar with its sound and its meaning. When¬ 
ever there is a double letter or a silent letter in the first word of the series, 
that fact should be noted before the other words are pronounced, and the 
pupils must be led to expect the same sound whenever they see the same 
combination of letters. Examples of this are “ill,” “eat,” “day,” “coat.” 
There should be no diacritical marks, however, on the first word or on any 
other words in the series. 


Sight Words 

In addition to the words written in the series, there is a long miscellaneous 
list of all the words not included in any of the series. Each of these words 
contains some phonogram not yet learned; therefore the word cannot be 
taught phonetically but must be presented as a whole, that is, as a sight word. 
The pupils should not be required to spell these sight words in Part I until 
all the different series in Part I have been mastered. Then the teacher should 
write on the blackboard ten words at a time, asking different pupils to pro¬ 
nounce the words as they are written and calling attention to any silent letters 
and any familiar phonograms contained in them, 'as well as any similarities 
or distinctions to be noted when compared with other words already familiar. 
In teaching the spelling of words by series, it is not necessary to have any 
previous assignment or preparation of the spelling lessons, but a spelling 
lesson of sight words should be thus prepared for and assigned a day in ad¬ 
vance. Often in connection with a series there may be found a few words 
not strictly belonging to that series, though containing the phonogram 
emphasized in it. In the list of sight words the words needed in filling 
out the blanks in the latter half of the written lessons given in Part I are 
marked with an asterisk (*). For these lessons the words to be used are not 
placed on the blackboard ; hence it is. important that the words thus marked 
should be taught before any of the other sight words. 

After the middle of the second year’s work, it might not come amiss to have 
an occasional review take the form of a spelling match, or “spell down,” 
but far greater emphasis should be placed on written spelling and dictation 
than on oral spelling. 


176 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Sentence Dictation 

Soon after the work of the second year has begun, the pupils should be re¬ 
quired to write whole sentences simply from hearing them read by the teacher. 
Do not allow the pupils to touch pencils to paper until after you have fin¬ 
ished reading the entire sentence. This will require strict discipline, but 
if it is insisted on, it will be a great help to the students in getting the com¬ 
plete sentence in mind, instead of writing down word by word and syllable 
by syllable. While the pupils wait with poised pencils, read the sentence 
from beginning to end slowly and distinctly, yet connectedly; then, as they 
begin to write, read it again still more slowly, pausing between phrases if 
it is a long sentence. Do not repeat words at the request of individual stu¬ 
dents, as this only encourages habits of inattention. Ordinarily two or three 
readings of a sentence should be sufficient, especially if at the close of the dic¬ 
tation period, all the sentences dictated should be read through once more, 
while each pupil examines his own work to make sure that no words have been 
omitted. 

At first the sentences dictated should be very simple and should contain 
only those words with which the class is already very familiar. The capital 
letter at the beginning of the sentence and the period at the close should be 
carefully insisted upon. A little later the use of the interrogation point 
may be introduced, and the use of capital letters in writing the names of 
people and places. After a few weeks the class should be able to take short 
paragraphs chosen from reading lessons already taught. If these paragraphs 
are very difficult, they should be assigned beforehand, though the class should 
occasionally be tested without having had preparation. In dictating an 
assigned lesson, be sure to vary it somewhat, changing the order of words 
and phrases a little, so that no pupil can rely on committing to memory the 
paragraph as it stands in the book. 

Toward the close of Part II the pupils should learn to write from hearing 
paragraphs containing simple quotations. It will not be difficult for them 
to learn the use of quotation marks if they are taught to ask themselves, 
“What is the first word he said? ” and “ What is the last word he said? ” 
and then to place the quotation marks outside of these first and last words. 
They will readily learn that a quotation must begin with a capital letter 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


177 


and that, whether it comes at the beginning of the main sentence or at the 
end, it should be separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. Dic¬ 
tation is of great value in helping a pupil later on to give correct form to the 
written expression of his own thoughts. 

STORY-TELLING 

Every one loves a story, yet not every good teacher is a natural story-teller. 
Still, with careful preparation and practice one may acquire the art. If you 
feel that it is impossible for you to tell a story, begin by reading to the class 
a short story containing plenty of animated conversation. Before coming to 
class, read the story to yourself a number of times until you are so familiar 
with it that you can look at the class frequently as you read and can occa¬ 
sionally act out what you are reading. After you have thus read to the class 
a few times, you will doubtless be able to tell the stories. Unless a story is 
poorly told, it always holds the attention better than one that is read. More¬ 
over, in telling a story the teacher has the advantage of being able to adapt 
it so that it will contain very few new words or unfamiliar constructions. 
Some stories may be adapted to emphasize the use of certain constructions, 
which will be much better remembered if thus associated with something 
which cannot easily be forgotten. 

The chief purpose in telling stories in class, however, should be to train 
the pupils to grasp, simply from hearing, the main thread of the story, and 
to reproduce it orally in their own language without ever having seen it in 
printed or written form. Be careful to choose stories from books inaccessible 
to the class, and call on a pupil to tell what he can of the story as soon as you 
have finished telling it, so that there may be no mere memorizing. At first the 
pupils may insist that they cannot reproduce the story unless they see it 
written on the blackboard, but little by little they will gain confidence in their 
own ability.' Tell the story through first rather slowly, taking time to write 
on the blackboard any new words as you introduce them. Try to draw out 
from the class the explanation of these words, or when they fail to respond, try 
to illustrate the word in such a way that they will be able to tell its meaning 
without any translation. Then repeat the story a little more briefly, empha¬ 
sizing especially the points that you wish to bring out and acting out again 


178 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


the more picturesque parts. Call on a clever student to begin the story. 
When he has told the first half or the first third, stop him at a natural break in 
the narrative, and then ask another clever student to go on with it. Do not 
interrupt the story-teller with corrections unless it is absolutely necessary to 
do so, but make a note of his mistakes and go over them carefully when he has 
finished. For the second telling of the story, choose students of average 
ability. If they cannot take the initiative, you can at least draw the story 
out of them by skillful questioning. At first the duller half of the class will 
probably make no attempt whatever at story-telling, but if a story is told once 
a week, they will gradually be learning how to hear, and after several weeks 
they, too, will begin to reproduce the stories. Try to let the class feel that it 
is an honor to be called on to tell a story, yet an honor which every student 
may attain in time. On the third day after the first telling of the story, two 
or three students may be asked to tell it, and for the re-review a week later 
the class may be asked to write out what they can remember of it. This 
need not be done, however, except in the case of an especially good story. 

Later on in the course, the pupils should be encouraged to tell little stories 
from their own experience on such subjects as the following: 

The Kindest Deed I Have Ever Seen. 

The Bravest Deed I Have Ever Seen. 

The Most Amusing Thing I Have Ever Seen. 

Some Strange Ideas of My Childhood. 

At first the teacher’s attention will necessarily be directed mainly to the 
choice of familiar words and constructions, but later on, as he is able to have 
a wider range in the content of the stories, he may use them to impress many 
valuable lessons in such essential matters as patriotism, self-help, helpfulness 
to others, truthfulness, and courage. 

In order to show what material may be found by a teacher who has only a 
very limited number of supplementary books at his command, there is ap¬ 
pended a list of stories and memory gems selected from three or four books 
which are easily obtained. If the teacher cannot procure these books, he 
may choose stories from any books to which he may have access, changing ' 
them so as to emphasize certain idioms and constructions and substituting 
familiar words for unfamiliar ones. 

For example—take the little book called “ Work-a-Day Doings,” published 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


179 


by Silver, Burdett & Company. Most of the stories, if used just as they are 
written, are too juvenile for a class of pupils in their teens. However, by 
using the names of persons instead of the names of animals, and substituting 
the names of Chinese objects for similar American ones, some of these stories 
may be made a very interesting means of teaching the vocabulary of the 
various industries. The constant repetition in this book is one of its most 
valuable features, as this is a great aid in getting the pupils to remember and 
repeat the story. This repetition and the simplicity and directness of the 
style make these little stories especially suitable to be told as soon as a class 
has learned to use the past tense and the future tense. 

Following is a list of other stories that also readily lend themselves to 
adaptation for use in a conversation class. 

Stepping Stones to Literature, Second Reader 

Page 30. The Fox and the Grapes. 

A good story to tell before the pupils have learned the use of the past 
tense. 

Page 20. The Blind Man and the Lame Man. 

This story illustrates the use of the future tense. Adapt it so that it reads 
“ Where do you wish to go? ” “I wish to go to town. ” Change “ Agreed,” 
to “ I will gladly be eyes for you.” 

Page 59. The Dog and His Image. 

Change “ saw his image ” to “ saw himself in the water.” Simplify the 
last paragraph. 

Page 67. The Boy and the Nuts. 

A good story to illustrate “ into,” “ out of,” “ why,” and “ because.” 

Page 16. King Midas. 

This story shows well the use of the past tense. It may also be adapted 
to show the use of comparatives and superlatives. 

Page 57. Golden Eggs. 

Adapt this story to show the use of the conjunctive adverb “ when.” 
Change all the pluperfect tenses to past tenses. 

Page 143. The Crow and the Pitcher. 

To be told after Part II, Lesson 17, “ Fll Try.” This story illustrates the 
use of “ too ” and “ so.” 


180 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


Page 85. The Wind and the Sun. 

A good story to illustrate the use of comparatives. 

Page 92. The Bundle of Sticks. 

Use this story to teach the use of infinitives; also the idioms, “ easy to 
break,” and “ hard to break.” 

SUGGESTED MEMORY GEMS 

Stepping Stones to Literature. Second Reader. 

Page 21. Look Up and Not Down. 

Page 63. Kind Hearts. 

The Little Helper. Book Two. 

Page 48. Change the third line to read, “ For every boy and every girl.” 

Page 87. The Four Winds. 

Page 103. The Little Plant. 

To be learned a few days after pupils have read Part II, Lesson 6. 

* 

SUPPLEMENTARY READING 

It is very evident that a book so condensed as this cannot pretend to fur¬ 
nish matter sufficient to give pupils all the practice they need during the 
first year of English. In some of the best graded schools in America the 
pupils read fourteen different primers or first readers during the first year, 
in order that they may gain ease and fluency from the very beginning. 
This is practically out of the question for Chinese classes in English, because 
of the expenditure of time and money involved; yet most teachers may, by 
planning ahead a little, provide some sort of supplementary work. Second¬ 
hand readers might be bought very cheap, or they might even be obtained 
from schools in the home land that have adopted other textbooks. Such 
readers should not be read through from cover to cover, but the teacher 
should carefully choose stories containing interesting and suitable subject 
matter, yet not introducing too many new words or constructions. 

It will probably often be necessary for the teacher to furnish the supple¬ 
mentary reading for the first and second terms by occasionally writing on 


ENGLISH FOR CHINESE STUDENTS 


181 


the blackboard before class a little story or dialogue containing very few 
new words and only familiar constructions. This may be original or adapted 
from another book. Supplementary reading should always be a little easier 
than the regular reading lesson, so that students may be required to read 
it at sight without previous preparation. 

After the second term of the first year, it will become increasing^ easier 
to find suitable stories, and by the time the second term of the second year 
has been reached, the students should be able to read at sight almost any 
simple story. 

Even when it is impossible to provide supplementary books enough to 
furnish one for each student, or one for every two students, a great deal 
may be done by having a little bookshelf of supplementary books, or half 
a dozen simple readers on the teacher’s desk. A student who finishes his 
work early or who has perfect written work, may be allowed to choose one 
of these books and read it silently at his desk. This plan may be used as an 
incentive for getting work done promptly and accurately. Care should be 
taken not to have on the shelf any book so difficult to read that the student 
will spend all his time in looking at the pictures without attempting to read. 
During the second year a student should now and then be asked to tell in 
his own words a story that he has read. This may be made entertaining to 
the whole class and may furnish material for conversation. 

The art of silent reading, without moving the lips at all, should be taught 
from the very first. After the pupils have finished reading the lesson for 
the day, they may be asked to sit at their desks and read quietly to themselves 
the first paragraph of the advance lesson, which they have never seen before. 
After three or four minutes of this silent reading, the teacher should call on 
two or three pupils to tell in their own words the meaning of the paragraph. 

This valuable habit of getting rapidly the thought from a printed or written 
paragraph is one that should be insisted upon very early, as it is a great 
help to a student in the preparation of all his other lessons later on in his 
course. 


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